West Virginia teachers were set to strike for a seventh day on Friday as state lawmakers balk at the governor’s promise to raise salaries that are close to the bottom for US educators, the state Education Department said.
An end to the strike that kept more than 277,000 students out of school since last week appeared in sight on Tuesday, when Republican Governor Jim Justice promised a 5 percent raise for teachers in the upcoming fiscal year.
The $58 million proposal went through the Republican-controlled state House of Delegates on Wednesday, but the state Senate sent the bill to its Finance Committee for study.
“The governor goes out and meets with groups that express dissatisfaction and he comes back that night and finds $60 million and takes the pay raise to 5 percent. I believe with everything in me, you would expect us to say, ‘Come on, really?’” Senate President Mitch Carmichael told striking teachers, according to the…
Last Saturday afternoon, I listened to a gathering of Wall Street Journal editors and writers on Fox News discussing the congressional deadlock on immigration. Paul Gigot, Jason Riley, and Karl Rove were all disturbed that the president and congressional Republicans who followed his lead were stalling a compromise over DACA and other related immigration issues. These intransigents should have accepted something like the Graham-Durbin proposal that would have amnestied DACA recipients and their families while continuing chain migration but also making some provision for increased border security.
As I listened to these judgments, I thought, “Spoken like true Republicans.” These remarks explain why Trump rallied the working-class base that had long eluded Republican politicians. Trump and his advisers noticed what had been clear for some time: for many decades, the Democrats generally took the harder line on immigration, even if neither national party offered steady resistance. Although both parties voted for the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, a higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for that legislation in Congress.
The most vocal opposition to this reform came from Southern Democrats, who feared that the immigration act would change the ethnic profile of the country by removing national quotas. Republicans had no interest in the concern raised in 1965 by North Carolina Democratic senator Sam Ervin:
The people of Ethiopia have the same right to come to the United States under this bill as the people from England, the people of France, the people…
Following a renewed effort to unearth some proof, Facebook has not found any indications that Russia interfered in the UK’s referendum on withdrawal from the European Union. READ MORE:https://on…
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating the digital currencies market, according to the Wall Street Journal citing its sources.
People familiar with the matter told the newspaper, that as part of the investigation, the regulatory agency has issued “scores of subpoenas” to obtain information from technology companies and advisers tied to the virtual currency trade.
The SEC is looking into the structure for sales and pre-sales of initial coin offerings (ICOs) which are not as heavily regulated as public offerings. ICOs allow cryptocurrency start-ups to raise funds through the issue of digital tokens.
The SEC has previously launched inquiries suggesting that many token sales and ICOs may be violating securities laws.
Earlier this month, the SEC Chairman Jay Clayton pledged increased scrutiny on companies that seek to “capitalize on the perceived promise” of an increased stock value following an announcement of investment in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
Bitcoin slipped about 2 percent following the SEC report. It then clawed back some losses to trade at $10,654 as of 9:25am GMT.
This article was posted: Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 8:10 am
Doctors are calling for girls to be taught how to get pregnant in new sex-education classes. NHS figures show that 1 in 7 couples struggles to conceive, which is why educators are being urged to shift the focus from contraception.
A coalition of leading doctors, fertility experts and campaigners have told the government that the traditional focus on contraception and preventing teen pregnancy can lead to many young girls assuming that they can conceive as soon they want to.
The average age for a woman in the UK to have a child is 30, which has risen from 26 in 1976. About a fifth of women reach 45 without having a baby. The optimum age for childbearing is between 20-35. Teen pregnancy, however, has dropped to a record low. In 2015 it fell to 21 in 1,000 – half the rate in the 1990s.
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From 2019 schoolchildren will receive compulsory sex education classes. The government is currently running a public consultation to determine what content the lessons should contain.
A submission made by the Fertility Education Initiative (FEI) said the syllabus should look at the nature of fertility, right from puberty to menopause. The effects of age, obesity, alcohol and other lifestyle factors should also be made clear to students, as well as reproductive technologies such as IVF. The FEI said the impact of mental health whilst trying and failing to fall pregnant should also be made clear to students.
Research has found a misconception over the success rate of IVF. In a recent study, a third of women thought that up to a fifth of babies each year were born as a result of IVF or donor insemination because of difficulties conceiving naturally. The true figure is a fiftieth.
The FEI is an educational group within the British Fertility Society. Jessica Hepburn, who went through 11 rounds of unsuccessful treatment, is a member. She told the Times that the current system is “failing young people because important fertility information is missing from this education.”
“They urgently deserve the full story about fertility and its limits, so that they can make informed decisions about their future,” she said. “They’ve heard things in the media about egg freezing and IVF but don’t really understand what these things entail, the costs or the limits of the science.”
The Department for Education said its consultation had been “extensive.” It also said that it wanted the new lessons to “help children deal with the challenges they face in modern Britain.”
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Google is reportedly being sued by a former recruiter who claims he was dismissed for not rejecting white and Asian male job applicants. It’s alleged the company instigated a policy to further workforce diversity.
Recruitment specialist Arne Wilberg, an employee at Google and its YouTube unit for nine years as a contractor and employee, filed a lawsuit in California, according to Bloomberg. The suit reportedly claims that his employment was terminated after he complained to human resources that Google discriminated against white and Asian men in favor of applicants who were Hispanic, African American or female. It’s also alleged that management deleted emails and other records about diversity requirements late last year.
“We will vigorously defend this lawsuit. We have a clear policy to hire candidates based on their merit, not their identity,” a Google spokesperson told RT.com, adding that the company is unapologetic about hiring a wide group of qualified candidates as it helps the tech giant “build better products.”
The lawsuit follows a similar action by James Damore, a former Google engineer who rose to prominence after sending an internal memo criticizing Google’s diversity practices and defending the gender gap. Damore was subsequently fired by Google. In a class action lawsuit filed against the tech giant, Damore said he was “ostracized, belittled and punished” for expressing conservative opinions while he was employed by the internet giant.
The lawsuit also claimed that Google “discriminated against employees for their perceived conservative political views,” as well as their “Caucasian race” and “male gender.” While Damore fits those descriptions, the lawsuit was also filed on behalf of women and people of color who it’s claimed Google mistreated on the basis of one or any combination of those categories.
Equality is an ongoing issue for the firm. In August 2017, the Guardian revealed that more than 60 current and former Google employees were considering bringing a lawsuit against the company, alleging sexism and pay disparities against women. Google denies that its salaries are discriminatory.
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Russia has created new systems in response to US ABM-Treaty exit. One of them is a new, powerful nuclear reactor which can be mounted on a sea-launched or air-launched cruise missile and can…
Hundreds of gun-toting parishioners descended upon a rural Pennsylvania church on Wednesday to have their marriages (and AR-15s) blessed. Some participants even sported crowns made of bullets….
Rev. Louis Farrakhan gave a Saviours’ Day 2018 Address on Sunday in which he declared that “the powerful Jews are my enemy,” and “white folks are going down.”
The Chicago speech went widely unnoticed at first, but garnered more traction on Wednesday when excerpts were tweeted out. CNN anchor Jake Tapper, for example, tweeted out a thread of the keynote speech with some of his quotes, and said Farrakhan was more dangerous than other “alt-reich” leaders because he “has a much larger following and elected officials meet with him openly.”
The difference between Farrakhan and some members of the alt-reich whose heinous bigotry has received a lot of attention this past year: Farrakhan has a much larger following and elected officials meet with him openly. -fin-
“Jews were responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out, turning men into women and women into men,” Farrakhan said in his keynote speech.
Prime Minister Theresa May has made an extremely rare reference to the clandestine criminal activity carried out by MI5. The UK PM confirmed that the British Security Service are being kept under review by a watchdog.
In a written statement to Parliament, May mentioned a direction which instructed the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to “keep under review the application of the Security Service guidelines on the use of agents who participate in criminality and the authorisations issued in accordance with them.” Such comments offer the public a rare glimpse into MI5’s potential involvement in crime.
MI5 describes its own agents as “one of the most significant information gathering assets we have.” According to MI5’s website, agent operations are run by specially trained officers and can continue for long periods – with some missions taking years to complete.
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Last year MI5 director general Andrew Parker told audiences in a speech that Britain owes its security agents “a debt of gratitude.” He added: “I want to record special thanks to our agents, sometimes known as human sources. Those who courageously work for us in secret, close to the extremists, who do so much to help us prevent terrorist atrocities.”
A report published in 2016 by Intelligence Services Commissioner Sir Mark Waller contained a section entitled “agent participation in the commission of an offence.” The report said: “There may be occasions where a CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Source) participates in a criminal offence in order to gather the required intelligence, for example membership of a proscribed organisation or handling stolen goods.
“However in specific situations where the intelligence dividend justifies it, a good argument can be made that it is in the public interest and for the greater good to become involved. Although such activity cannot be made lawful I have recommended that the agency must justify the public interest test.”
Human rights organisation Reprieve said it was the first time the UK government had acknowledged that guidance was needed within the UK to regulate criminal activity within its intelligence services. Director of Reprieve Maya Foa called on the Government to publish the guidelines referenced in the Prime Minister’s statement. “Authorised criminality is the most intrusive power a state can wield,” she said.
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Three senators have proposed a resolution that will force the Senate to vote on US support for Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen. The conflict has sparked the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) introduced a bipartisan joint resolution on Wednesday that calls for the removal of American armed forces in Yemen, the Middle East’s poorest country. Sanders emphasized the need for Congress to reclaim its constitutional prerogative.
“For far too long, Congress under the Democratic and Republican administrations has abdicated its constitutional role in authorizing war. The time is long overdue for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority,” Sanders said in a television address on Wednesday.
The resolution is part of a longstanding friction between Congress and the executive branch over military involvement overseas. It invokes the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which gives Congress the authority to overrule the president and withdraw the military if it deems the conflict is unauthorized.
The response from the Pentagon was swift and censorious. Acting general counsel William S. Castle sent Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) a letter on Tuesday, opposing the resolution before it was even filed on Wednesday.
The letter says the resolution would undermine America’s ability to “build strong security architecture in the world,” and that US support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen does not fall under the remit of the War Powers Resolution because it does not constitute direct military action.
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Yemen’s conflict pits the Zaidi Shiite rebel group, known as the Houthis, against a coalition of Sunni forces led by Saudi Arabia and forces loyal to former Saudi-backed president Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted in 2014 by the Houthis.
Former President Barack Obama’s administration began assisting the Saudi coalition in 2015. The US has backed the Saudi forces with intelligence, ammunition and refueling. The US is also a major supplier of arms to Saudi Arabia, the region’s richest country, and its allies in the conflict.
At least 10,000 Yemeni civilians have died and the country is experiencing a devastating famine and a cholera epidemic, according to Oxfam.
In November 2017, the House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring that US military assistance to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict was not authorized. It did not prevent the US from providing support to Saudi Arabia, however.
The three congressmen who proposed the House resolution wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, stating: “We believe that the American people, if presented with the facts of this conflict, will oppose the use of their tax dollars to bomb and starve civilians.”
The Senate proposal was met with approval on Twitter.
Bernie Sanders and Mike Lee aligning to challenge Yemen policy is an example of genuine bipartisan cooperation, but won’t get widely celebrated as such because it doesn’t involve dropping bombs, shredding civil liberties, or cutting social services
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair has urged European Union leaders to reform the EU so British people “change their mind” about Brexit, saying Britain will lose its influence if it exits the bloc.
Speaking at the European Policy Centre in Brussels on Thursday, Blair argued that if “comprehensive” immigration reforms are offered, Brexit can then be “averted” via another referendum, this time on the final deal reached with the EU.
“Britain without Europe will lose weight and influence. But Europe without Britain will be smaller and diminished. And both of us will be less than we are and much less than we could be together,” Blair said.
“And Europe, to retain the ability to protect its interests and values, will need to form a strong bloc with the power collectively to do what no European nation alone will be able to do individually,” he said about a time when the “west would no longer dominate”.
Berlin authorities have circulated a brochure among kindergarten staff that focuses on issues such as transgender identity and same-sex marriage. The booklet – designed to help teachers explain…
Visit https://democracynow.org to watch the full independent, global news hour, read the transcript, search our archive and to make a donation to support us. Democracy Now! is an independent…
The strike of 30,000 West Virginia teachers, now entering its seventh day, requires the urgent and active support of the entire working class. The issues on which the teachers are fighting are universal: declining wages, deteriorating social infrastructure, the attack on public education, growing social inequality and rising health care costs.
The teachers’ repudiation of the agreement worked out behind closed doors by the trade unions and the state’s billionaire governor, Jim Justice, is a blow to the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and their state affiliates. From the beginning of the struggle, the unions have sought to suppress, limit and redirect opposition behind the Democratic Party and fruitless appeals to state legislators. These maneuvers culminated in the deal with Justice, which failed to meet any of the basic demands of the teachers, coupled with an order to return to work.
On Wednesday, teachers held impromptu meetings in the state capitol and decided to reject the call for an end to their struggle. County-by-county votes in every school district ended with the same result: the strike will continue; the schools will remain closed.
Map depicting school closures on Thursday due to strike votes
The central demand of teachers is for full funding of the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA), which manages health care for teachers and public employees. The effort to place an ever greater share of health care costs on the backs of workers is part of a national policy, supported by both Democrats and Republicans. There is a deliberate effort to reduce the life expectancy of the working class through the restriction of access to health care—a campaign that assumes a…
Moscow has postponed planned talks with Washington on strategic stability originally set for later this month, after a US delegation refused to attend a Geneva meeting on cybersecurity earlier in the week, Russian envoy to Washington has announced.
Ambassador Anatoly Antonov told Russian TASS news agency on Thursday that the last-minute pullout from talks in Geneva by the US delegation on February 27 reflected an “unfriendly step… that gave the impression of having been pre-planned and leading to the further degradation of bilateral relations.”
“We have expressed indignation to the Department of State that the American side has wrecked Russian-American expert consultations on global information security,” Antonov said, noting that Moscow and Washington had agreed to hold the talks in Geneva on February 27-28.
However, he insisted, “The Americans refused to participate in the event just on its first day under the pretext of…
A mother-of-two claims she has cured her aggressive breast cancer by taking one drop of cannabis oil every day.
Dee Mani, 44, refused chemotherapy when she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer – deemed the deadliest form – and instead opted to try cannabis oil.
Doctors gave her the all-clear just five months after she opted for the oil, which is derived from cannabis but doesn’t cause a high.
Despite her claims that it has cured her of cancer, there is no proof cannabis, or any of its compounds, can treat cancer in humans as research showing the drug’s anti-tumour effects have been in petri dishes and on mice.
The legal status of cannabis oil in the UK has confused thousands, with most oils being sold as food supplements because suppliers have yet to obtain licences to sell it as a medicine under strict Government rules.
Ms Mani, from Birmingham, found a lump in her breast in March 2017 and soon after was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Iraqi refugees in the country’s Anbar province feel safer in camps than in the homes to which they’re being forced to return. That’s according to a joint report called ‘The Long Road Home’…
In Christopher Nolan’s captivating and visually dazzling film Inception, a practitioner of psychic corporate espionage must plant and idea inside a CEO’s head. The process is called inception, and it represents the frontier of corporate influence, in which mind spies no longer just “extract” ideas from the dreams of others, but seed useful ideas in a target’s subconscious. Inception is a well-crafted piece of futuristic sci-fi drama, but some of the ideas it imparts are already deeply embedded in the American subconscious. The notion of inception, of hatching an idea in the mind of a man or woman without his or her knowledge, is the kernel of propaganda, a black art practiced in the States since the First World War. Today we live beneath an invisible cultural hegemony, a set of ideas implanted in the mass mind by the U.S. state and its corporate media over decades. Invisibility seems to happen when something is either obscure or ubiquitous. In a propaganda system, an overarching objective is to render the messaging invisible by universalizing it within the culture. Difference is known by contrast. If there are no contrasting views in your field of vision, it’s easier to accept the ubiquitous explanation. The good news is that the ideology is well-known to some who have, for one lucky reason or another, found themselves outside the hegemonic field and are thus able to contrast the dominant worldview with alternative opinions. On the…
Former Google chief Eric Schmidt believes AI technology is developing so quickly it may soon turn against its human masters.
The billionaire tech leader claims Terminator-like AI movie death scenarios are ‘one to two decades away’ but says we should only ‘worry about them in a while’.
Many AI experts, including Elon Musk, have said we should be wary of a potential AI uprising.
Schmidt himself has previously expressed concern about what countries such as Russia and China will do with AI weapons.
https://democracynow.org – We host an extended web-only roundtable with three guests: Christopher Lebron, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who recently wrote “Black Panther Is Not…
Last week I wrote that “all signs point toward an upcoming large-scale Israeli/U.S. attack on Lebanon and Syria, and all the sycophantic mainstream media are in the kitchen prepping for the feast. Russia and Iran are the main course, with Lebanon and Syria, who will be devoured first, as the hors d’oeuvres.” Those signs are growing more numerous by the day.
Israel’s mainstream newspapers, Haaretz, and the more conservative Jerusalem Post, both announce in headline news that Iran has built a new base in Syria with missiles capable of hitting Israel. One look at these newspapers with their talk of Israeli war preparations and the potential in assassinating the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah makes it very clear that an expanded Middle Eastern war is fast approaching. Russia, Syria, and Iran are being demonized as mind control propaganda spews forth. The mainstream corporate media in the United States and other countries are sure to follow.
In Lebanon, the Prime Minister Saad Hariri has returned to Saudi Arabia to meet with his Saudi patrons for the first time since his shocking resignation on November 4, 2017, which he later withdrew. The timing of his visit suggests another anti-Iranian and anti-Hezbollah announcement will follow. Will Hariri issue another statement accusing Iran and Hezbollah of destabilizing Lebanon to add to the war rhetoric coming out of Israel at the same time that Lebanon is making a military agreement with Russia? …
Ukrainian Neo-Nazi groups involved in fighting in eastern Ukraine are actively seeking to recruit British far-right activists. The anti-fascist watchdog has warned that at least two Britons have recently travelled to Ukraine.
Hope not Hate (HNH), a UK based advocacy group, detailed that the Ukrainian fascist militia Azov battalion and connected groups have been recruiting Britons. The group has contacted representatives from National Action, a proscribed terror organization, and a London-based Polish fascist group.
HNH estimates extreme far right groups have around 600-700 members, a significant decrease from previous years. However, the group warned that there was an emergence of new, tech-savvy far right wingers. These elements are creating professional media campaigns to ignite hate across Europe.
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“The threat is evolving. As traditional British far-right groups collapse, far-right-inspired terrorism is on the rise. Replacing old-fashioned racial nationalism is anti-Muslim hatred. Today’s key activists tend to be younger, operate online and have little of the obvious ‘Nazi’ baggage of their predecessors,” HNH said in its annual State of Hate report on Friday.
The group’s chief executive Nick Lowles stated: “Coupled with the collapse of the British National party, which has convinced some hardliners that there is now no parliamentary route to fascism, and the Islamist terrorist attacks last year which led directly to four terrorist attacks or attempted attacks in response, and a worsening public perception of British Muslims and Islam generally, we must be prepared for more terrorist plots and the use of extreme violence from the far right for the foreseeable future.” The warning comes four days after the outgoing head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Mark Rowley, revealed that four far-right terror plots had been foiled in 2017.
Rowley said: “The right-wing threat was not previously organized. Every now and then there’s been an individual motivated by that rhetoric who has committed a terrorist act, but we’ve not had an organized right-wing threat like we do now.”
Rowley cited the power of individuals to drive recruitment to extremist organizations, citing convicted activist Anjem Choudary and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) on one hand, and groups such as National Action and former EDL leader Tommy Robinson on the other. Islamic terrorists and the far right are both trying to “increase tensions and divisions in communities,” Rowley added.
In a statement, the UK’s security minister Ben Wallace said the government is working to eradicate the groups. “This government did not hesitate to proscribe a neo-Nazi group, National Action, when the evidence was enough, and we will not hesitate to take further action.
“Through our Prevent strategy, we are successfully fighting back against the terrorist recruiters and safeguarding vulnerable people who are being preyed upon – whether by Islamists, neo-Nazis or other violent extremists.”
The US Federal Election Commission has fined Senator Bernie Sanders for accepting illegal contributions from the Australian Labour Party during his 2016 campaign. Seven ALP volunteers worked on Sanders’ presidential campaign.
Seven Australians volunteered for Sanders during his bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Their flights and living costs, which totaled $24,422, were paid for by the Australian Labor Party (ALP), according to the FEC document.
The FEC ruled that the money the ALP shelled out for the volunteers’ flights and stipends constituted an in-kind donation, which is prohibited under federal campaign regulations.
As part of a settlement with the FEC, the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and the ALP will pay $14,500 each in civil penalties for violating federal election law.
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The Sanders campaign team argued that they did not realize they were breaking the law at the time.
“The folks on the campaign managing volunteers did not believe the stipend disqualified them from being volunteers,” the Sanders political team said in a statement to the New Hampshire television station WMUR on Wednesday.
“During the course of the campaign thousands and thousands of young people from every state and many other countries volunteered. Among them were seven Australian young people who were receiving a modest stipend and airfare from the Australian Labor Party so they could learn about American politics,” the team said.
The Sanders campaign agreed to pay the FEC “a small settlement” in order to avoid a “long and expensive fight” over the status of the volunteers, but it continues to deny any wrongdoing.
The complaint was brought by Republican William O’Brien, a former speaker of the New Hampshire House, according to WMUR.
O’Brien was alerted to the presence of the Australian volunteers when a conservative activist group, Project Veritas Action, posted a video apparently showing the volunteers tearing down campaign posters for Donald Trump in New Hampshire.
“I’m disappointed that it’s not comprehensive. It doesn’t go into the Australian government funding. And I’m disappointed that it doesn’t go with greater specificity into the actual things that they were doing,” O’Brien told WMUR.
Chinese state media have warned that China can go to war if US President Donald Trump signs into law a bill that seeks to improve ties between the United States and Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing considers subject to its sovereignty.
The US Senate unanimously passed the bill — the Taiwan Travel Act — on Wednesday. The proposed legislation, which only needs Trump’s signature to become law, would allow high-level Taiwanese officials to enter America “under respectful conditions” to meet with US officials, and American officials from all levels would be allowed to travel to the island to meet their Taiwanese counterparts.
China, which expects countries to adhere to the “Once China” policy of recognizing Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, has already voiced strong dissatisfaction with the bill.
On Friday, the official China Daily wrote in an editorial that the bill would only encourage Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen to…
Russia created yet another weapon – an underwater drone with great endurance and stealth capabilities, with a nuclear reactor smaller and more powerful than earlier models. The drone can…
Rattled by two weeks of muddled messages, departures and spitting matches between the US president and his own top officials, Donald Trump is facing a shrinking circle of trusted advisers and a staff that’s grim about any prospect of a reset.
Even by the standards of Trump’s often chaotic administration, the announcement of Hope Hicks’ imminent exit spread new levels of anxiety across the West Wing and cracked open disputes that had been building since the White House’s botched handling of domestic violence allegations against a senior aide late last month.
One of Trump’s most loyal and longest-serving aides, Hicks often served as human buffer between the unpredictable president and the business of government.
One official on Thursday compared the instability caused by her departure to that of a chief of staff leaving the administration — though that prospect, too, remained a possibility given the questions that have arisen about John…
One of Russia’s new advanced weapon system is a hypersonic missile. The missile is launched from an aircraft and reaches a speed of Mach-10 while maneuvering to pierce through anti-aircraft…
Mega-retailer Walmart announced on Wednesday that it would no longer sell guns and ammunition to anyone under the age of 21 – this just hours after Dick’s Sporting Goods announced a similar policy in the wake of last week’s Parkland, Florida school shooting.
The company said it felt an ‘obligation to be a responsible seller of firearms’ and ‘go beyond’ federal law by requiring customers to pass a background check before purchasing a gun.
In a statement, Walmart said that it will continue to adhere to a policy in place since 2015 of banning the sale of ‘modern sporting rifles’ like the AR-15 – the semi-automatic weapon used by the gunman in the Parkland shooting as well as other incidents.
‘We are also removing items from our website resembling assault-style rifles, including nonlethal airsoft guns and toys,’ Walmart said.
Jacob Rees-Mogg has been branded a “liar” on Twitter after falsely claiming that Jeremy Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement. Following calls for the Labour leader to sue him for libel, Rees-Mogg withdrew the claim.
The Tory backbencher, who is one of favorites to succeed PM Theresa May as party leader, claimed during a Channel 4 interview that Labour leader Corbyn voted against the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement when the deal was put to parliament in July 1998. Tweeters hastily pointed out that’s Corbyn advocacy for the long-awaited peace deal in Northern Ireland is a “matter of record.”
Rees-Mogg later issued a mea culpa, writing in Twitter post: “I was wrong to say that Mr Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement. He did not.”
Mea culpa, I was wrong to say that Mr Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement. He did not.
Labour MP Angela Rayner questioned whether the Tory’s recently announced new ‘fake news’ unit would look into the North Somerset MP’s statement. While Alex Nunns, who wrote a book about Corbyn’s rise, was among those who accused the MP of “telling a lie on Channel 4 News” before citing Conservative opposition to the peace deal.
Given you said this on national television, I’m looking for the words “I’m very sorry” in your tweet, but can’t seem to find them? Oportet esse errorem? https://t.co/Rt00yWgCHj
Jacob Rees-Mogg said on Channel 4 news tonight that Jeremy Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement, when in fact he voted for it! I am sure the newly formed intrepid Tory #fakenews unit will swing into action, investigate and then correct this mistake? Oh wait…….
Here’s @Jacob_Rees_Mogg telling a lie on Channel 4 News. Jeremy Corbyn voted for the Good Friday Agreement. One of the few MPs who did vote against it, however, was Rees-Mogg’s hard-Brexit colleague & fellow member of the European Research Group, Desmond Swayne. pic.twitter.com/lm0PKwSLni
The accusations against Rees-Mogg came in the wake of his Tory colleague, Ben Bradley’s own mea culpa. The Mansfield MP apologized publicly after accusing Corbyn of “selling British secrets” to “communists” in the past. The Labour leader’s legal team quickly got in contact with Bradley, prompting an apology from the MP, and a pledge to donate a “substantial” amount of money to a local charity.
Buoyed by Bradley’s climbdown, Corbyn fans are now suggesting he also threaten Rees-Mogg with claims of libel. The MP has corrected the record in relation to the incident, though some think it’s a little too late.
Tonight, Jacob Rees-Mogg knowingly lied that Jeremy Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement, when he in fact voted for it. Far-right politicians cannot keep peddling lies to suit their agenda. @jeremycorbyn should sue @Jacob_Rees_Mogg for libel like he did with @bbradleymp
I’m sure @Jacob_Rees_Mogg will be tweeting an apology to @jeremycorbyn tonight for saying on Channel 4 news Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement when it’s a matter of record he voted for it! A donation to a charity of Mr Corbyn’s choice would also be most welcome pic.twitter.com/qGxPQXIl5G
A 13-year-old student from Massillon, Ohio who shot himself in the head last week was initially planning a school shooting. Police have revealed evidence from the boy’s cellphone.
Jackson Middle School student Keith Simons, 13, was found dead in one of the school bathrooms with a semi-automatic rifle. The seventh-grader first left the bathroom with the .22 caliber weapon intending to begin his assault, but quickly changed his mind, went back inside, and turned the gun on himself.
Messages uncovered by authorities revealed that he admired Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the attackers from the Columbine High School massacre. They murdered 13 victims on April 20, 1999, before committing suicide.
A 7th-grader shot himself today inside Jackson Memorial Middle School in Ohio. I am heartbroken for the student, their family, & classmates.
If you’re a gun owner please do a better job of keeping your firearms in a safe & secure place.
Simons’ disturbing messages explained his motivations for carrying out the attack. “I’d hurt and destroy something bigger but my schools an easy target,” Simmons wrote in one of them.
“I want to leave a lasting impression on the world,” he stated. “I’m going to die doing it.”
Investigators say Simons began planning his attack on the day of the February 14 Parkland, Florida massacre, which claimed 17 lives. The shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, entered the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school and murdered 17 victims and injured 14 more.
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“We should thank God every day, whatever made him change his mind,” Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Brink said about Keith Simons’ unfulfilled plans
Fierce gun debates have erupted across the US with renewed force after the Parkland tragedy, with many still divided on how best to tackle the epidemic of gun violence. Additionally, tensions remain high after Florida lawmakers struck down a crucial gun reform bill after three minutes of debate and passed a resolution on pornography an hour later.
US president Donald Trump has come under intense scrutiny for not doing enough to reform gun laws. In response, he held a meeting Wednesday with over a dozen lawmakers, promising to outlaw “bump stocks” with an executive order by the end of the week. He urged lawmakers to combine their proposals into a single “beautiful” bill he could sign, and soon.
The US Defense Department is planning a military parade for around November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War l, following President Donald Trump’s request for a show of force, according to the Pentagon.
World War l was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918.
The parade could be “in conjunction with the World War I centennial celebrations” scheduled to culminate on November 11, which is known as Veterans Day in the United States, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said Thursday.
“So it would be a celebration, not only of our currently serving service members, but also those of the past,” she said.
The White House announced in February that Trump wanted a parade to highlight America’s military power, in an untraditional demonstration of force.
The request for a parade came after Trump was impressed by France’s Bastille Day parade, where he was received with great fanfare by French…
Russian biopic drama ‘Dovlatov’ hits screens on Thursday. The film about dissident Soviet writer Sergey Dovlatov premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for Outstanding…
The United States administration has formally notified Congress of its intent to sell 210 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, in a move deemed a major escalation in the Ukrainian conflict.
The US administration on Thursday notified Congress of plans to sell to Ukraine 210 US-made Javelin missiles accompanied by 37 command launch units, worth 47 billion dollars in total.
The US military has already begun training Ukrainian forces on how to use the lethal weapon.
The missiles would be shipped from the existing US Army stockpiles in a bid to speed up the process of transferring them to the Ukrainian military forces.
The weapons would most likely be delivered to Kiev sometime in April, AP reported, citing “several congressional officials” who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The US military’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency also issued a statement saying that, “Ukraine will have no difficulty absorbing this system into its armed…
“And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods?”
– Thomas Babington Macaulay
Over 98% of all mass shootings in the USSA since 1950 have occurred in gun free zones where the government mandated private disarmament or corporate entities that licked the foul taint of the government to mimic compliance. For the shooters, guaranteed a rather hazard free opportunity to maim and kill as many disarmed humans as they wished or found the time for.
The FBI apparatchiks define a mass shooting as four or more people killed and/or injured during a single shooting incident, and that definition typically is widely accepted by law enforcement agencies, criminal justice experts and the media. One can see the NYPD providing a demonstration here when they shot nine bystanders while trying to apprehend a shooter. Please note that the geniuses in the thick black and blue line charged the man they were shooting at with the casualties.
Only in Amerika.
The FBI has never been a law enforcement arm to protect Americans, its primary charter is similar to the Nazi and communist house security organs to ride herd on the feedlot known as America. Its primary purpose is political fixing and national security state advocacy. The latest kerfuffle with Comrades Comey and Mueller are simply the latest manifestation of the disease vector.
The latest shooting that has the collectivists filling their pants with glee at the prospect of further eroding the tools available for the final push to full communism in the USSA. You’ll note that the overweight but well turned out black and blue line didn’t enter the school until the shooting stopped.
I also suppose that many illegal drugs were freely available at the government mind laundry if one needed to…
US tech giant Google has banned the word ‘gun’ from its shopping search engine. Google says it’s to protect users from possible harm. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www….
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Senate should stop working on banning bump stocks – the devices that turn single-shot rifles into rapid-fire machine guns – because ‘I’ll do that myself.’
‘You don’t have to complicate the bill by adding another two paragraphs. We’re getting rid of it,’ he told a bipartisan group of U.S. senators at the White House.
‘We can do that with an executive order,’Trump said.
‘I’m going to write the bump stock essentially, write it out. So you won’t have to worry about bump stocks. Shortly that will be gone. We can focus on other things.’
‘We’ll have that done pretty quickly. They’re working on it right now, the lawyers,’ he added.
Janine Jackson interviewed Lee Drutman about gun control politics for the February 23, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript.
Janine Jackson: Mass shootings, like the February 14 killing of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, are actually a small fraction of gun deaths in the United States, but they hold a particular horror. And their wake, in which politicians and pundits tangle themselves in knots, arguing about the real cause and why other people’s ideas for responses won’t work, generates an enervating sense of frustration with the political process.
The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are looking to break the stasis around gun restrictions, planning walkouts and demonstrations. They don’t look like fading soon. Our guest suggests that’s one of the elements that might allow this mass shooting to actually spur substantive change.
Lee Drutman is a senior fellow in the political reform program at New America. He’s author of The Business of America Is Lobbying and he teaches in the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He joins us now by phone from Washington, DC. Welcome to CounterSpin, Lee Drutman.
Lee Drutman: Great to be with you.
JJ: On rules around access to lethal weaponry, as on many things, we kind of just want humans to just do better. You know? It feels slimey to have to think in terms of money, or influence or partisanship. And yet our lives are shaped by laws, as well as culture, and laws are shaped by this political process that we’ve got. So what do you see, looking at it, dry-eyed, that suggests that this might actually be a turning point for gun control?
LD: Well, a few things happening here. One, as you noted, is that the students have emerged as an impressive organizational force. They’re passionate and they appear to be growing in numbers far beyond Parkland. So that’s something that we haven’t seen before in the wake of any of these gun events.
But broader, in terms of the politics, two things are happening that are related. One is that, used to be the case that the NRA was seen as being influential, because there were a lot of Democrats who represented rural areas—and rural areas tend to be gun areas—and so these Democrats were afraid of challenging the NRA because they were afraid of losing those votes. But now the NRA no longer really supports any Democrats because there really are very few to no Democrats who represent rural areas, so the NRA has basically become part of the Republican Party, which helps it when Republicans are in charge, but also weakens it overall as an organization.
Second thing, related to that, is now the axis of politics is shifting so that the swing areas are upscale suburban areas like Parkland, where you have a lot of voters, particularly suburban moms, who may have been part of the Republican Party for economic reasons, but are moving to the Democratic Party for cultural reasons. And they are much more likely to care about school safety than they are about gun rights. So there’s a potential for that to be a new swing constituency in our politics, which puts pressure on Republicans who hope to hold those districts to support gun control.
JJ: What do you see in terms of legislation? It seems to be kind of all over the place in the states. We have laws that are making it easier to get guns. We have other laws that seem to be trying to raise some kind of hurdles or introduce steps in that process. Do you see anything meaningful in terms of actual legislation coming out of this?
LD: Since Sandy Hook, the red states have moved to loosen gun restrictions, and blue states have moved to tighten gun restrictions, and I think we’ll continue to see that, in a sort of pulling apart of this country on the cultural dimension. The red states are more conservative on cultural issues; blue states more liberal on cultural issues.
But ultimately, we need national solutions to this issue. I mean, guns can travel across state lines very easily. And here, I don’t know, the president has been a bit all over the place, as he often is, because he depends on who was the last person who he talked to, or what, you know, occurred to him in the last five seconds.
But ultimately, it’ll depend on Congress, and I would be surprised if Congress did much right now. But there’s pressure building and, unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the last mass shooting that we will see. But with each event, the pressure builds, and there’s more and more organizational force on behalf of gun control.
One of the reasons why the NRA was so feared as an organization for a long time is because there was no organizational force mobilized on behalf of gun control. There were a lot of single-issue voters who voted on gun rights. The NRA was incredibly effective at mobilizing voters on those issues. So the conventional wisdom in Washington was, you don’t want to challenge the NRA. It was how people operated.
But Pat Toomey, Republican senator from Pennsylvania, challenged the NRA, introduced legislation after Sandy Hook, and the NRA downgraded his rating, but Toomey still won. He won his primary, he won re-election. So he showed that you can be a Republican and you can challenge the NRA. He’s now reintroducing a legislation on background checks. And there are other Democrats who went along with the NRA from more conservative states and still lost. So the all-powerful NRA has lost powerful bipartisanship.
Lee Drutman: “The NRA is a bit of a paper tiger, and I think more and more legislators will find that out as they challenge the NRA.”
JJ: And some of that power, as I’ve heard you and others note, is really the perception of power. It’s really the fact that folks think you can’t cross the NRA, and don’t pay so much attention to what happens when someone actually does.
LD: Well, all power is perception of power, I suppose. But if you challenge the NRA and it turns out that you’re fine politically, or it doesn’t matter, that shows that the NRA is a bit of a paper tiger, and I think more and more legislators will find that out as they challenge the NRA.
JJ: There are people who are deeply invested in the fantasy of taking out an armed killer with their own weapon, you know? And I don’t think that all the research that we have, that’s showing that more guns are not the answer, is going to reach them, necessarily, whateverRush Limbaughmight say. He wasquoted on the issue on NPR for some reason.
But I understand that support for gun control, or some restrictions on gun access, is at its highest among the public in ten years. And among those looking for change, I think I see people getting over the idea that you have to pick one response, you know? People are pointing towards a large menu of responses; let’s do all the things. That’s hopeful to me. Rather than having to say whether I care more about domestic violence or about automatic weapons, I mean. To some extent, it’s a public conversation problem, isn’t it?
LD: Certainly, public opinion seems to be moving heavily in favor of gun control, particularly after this event, I think. There have been a series of mass shootings over the last few years, more than we’ve ever experienced. The frequency of mass shootings is increasing. And I think people are taking notice.
And the NRA is increasingly taking on a very extreme position on this, that, I think, ultimately undermines their broader credibility. I mean, I understand why they’re doing that. They’re doing it because they’re an organization that needs to continually stoke a sense of fear among its members in order to get them back, and keep them donating and keep them participating. And also to keep their territory from groups even further to the right on guns. But that takes them further and further from the mainstream, and at some point, sort of Looney Tunes quality to that fantasy of everybody being armed and in constant OK Corral, shoot-em-out warfare, and that I think loses a lot of reasonable people.
JJ: Let me just ask you, finally, if you have any thoughts about the way that media coverage plays a role here. Any angles you’d encourage journalists to explore, or maybe stop exploring? What are your thoughts on terms of looking at media coverage of the issue going forward?
LD: Well, I think the more coverage of gun violence, the more people are concerned about it. One of the reasons that often we’ve often not seen responses to the shootings is that there’s a sort of cycle of media attention. A few days after the shooting, things move on. Now I think something feels different about this, in that we’re still talking about this a week later, which is unusual. And I think part of that has to do with the fact that these students are keeping it in the news, and there’s a continued sense of conflict. But the more this stays in the news, the harder it will be for politicians to ignore.
JJ: We’ve been speaking with Lee Drutman. He’s senior fellow in the political reform program at New America, author of the book The Business of America Is Lobbying, and his article“Why Parkland Could Be a Turning Point for Gun Control” can be found on Vox.com.Lee Drutman, thank you very much for joining us this week on CounterSpin.
LD: Glad to be a part of the conversation; thank you.
A controversial, highly-racialized event promoted by Trent University’s Central Student Association (TCSA) is causing a stir in Peterborough, Ontario.
The event – entitled “It’s OK to be Against Whiteness” – drew ire shortly after it was revealed the campus lecture would centre around the existence of “white privilege.”
“You are inciting hatred against an identifiable group (Caucasians),” complained one social media user, adding “stop embarrassing the university.”
“What a joke university to put on an event like this,” another Facebook user added. “Parents, save your money and don’t send your children … There should be a boycott.”
The anti-“whiteness” event is headlined by Dr. Michael Cappello, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Regina University. The TCSA describes Cappello as “an anti-oppressive educator.”
The divisive title of the event is in response to the “It’s OK to be white” posters that emerged on Canadian university campuses last year.
“These posters had a divisive and offensive message and were revealed to be tied to white nationalist agendas,” the TCSA wrote in response to questions being raised about the March 12 event.
The “It’s OK to be white” posters were believed to be a gag, cooked up by trolls on the message board 4chan with the intention of kicking off a media firestorm.
In a clarification post to Facebook, the TCSA provided its own definition of “whiteness.”
The UK government is throwing its arms open to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, ignoring calls from activists to arrest the royal on entry over his alleged involvement in the human rights atrocities in Yemen.
Boris Johnson is among those keen to praise bin Salman ahead of his visit to the UK. In a piece for the Times, the foreign secretary hailed the royal for “reforms” in his kingdom.
“The worst response would be for Britain to criticise from the sidelines or shun the kingdom altogether; instead our role must be to encourage [the crown prince] along this path,” Johnson wrote in the Times. “Be in no doubt: the future of Saudi Arabia – and indeed the region and the wider Muslim world – depends on his success.
“Hence the importance of the crown prince’s visit to London. This will be a chance to strengthen our relationship with Saudi Arabia… I will not minimise Britain’s differences with the kingdom. I want Saudi Arabia to do more to protect human rights. But we cannot deliver these messages or resolve our disagreements unless we meet the kingdom’s leaders.
“You might reply that far more needs to be done to reach a peaceful settlement in Yemen and ensure that aid gets through to everyone in need. I agree. That is exactly why we need to discuss these vital matters with the crown prince during his visit to the UK.”
Britain’s top diplomat highlighted recent reforms in the Saudi kingdom in the last eight months since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince. “The ban on women driving has been overturned,” he said. “Gender segregation has been relaxed. The kingdom has adopted an official target for women to account for 30% of the workforce: in February women were allowed to register their own businesses. Women now attend sporting events and from next month cinemas will open their doors to everyone.”
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Despite being hailed by Johnson for domestic reforms, bin Salman has faced censure from a variety of human rights groups over the Saudis’ bombing of Yemen, among other issues. Activists are planning a demonstration upon the crown prince’s arrival.
Downing Street has officially confirmed that bin Salman will visit the UK from March 7 to 10, ignoring calls from a coalition of activism groups demanding that Prime Minister Theresa May denounce the Saudi prince. Yemeni activists in Britain have filed applications to UK Attorney General Jeremy Wright to prosecute the prince and the Saudi-led coalition for its alleged war crimes.
Director of Human Rights for Yemen Kim Sharif said that Saudi forces are committing war crimes and violating the Geneva Conventions and their protocols with impunity. “There is jurisdiction in the UK to try war criminals and there is no immunity for such crimes, irrespective of where they have been committed. Salman is ultimately responsible for these crimes and he must be arrested for war crimes during his anticipated visit to the UK soon,” Sharif said.
More than 20 million people have been left aid-dependent due to the conflict, according to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) figures. Some 11.3 million people are in “acute need” and urgently require assistance to survive.
The Saudi-led coalition imposed a complete blockade on the port of Hodeidah in November after Houthi rebels, who control areas across northern Yemen, fired ballistic missiles against targets in Saudi Arabia.
The port closure meant that whole communities were at risk of death by starvation, as critical food and medical aid were prevented from entering Yemen. Saudi forces began to ease the port blockades at the end of December, but humanitarian sources report that it is still difficult to get food, medicine, fuel and other critical supplies into Yemen.
The conflict has created the largest food security emergency in the world, and led to a cholera outbreak that has affected nearly 1 million people since April. Other data shows that every day, 130 children die of malnutrition and disease because of the blockade.
The UK government has come under attack for its significant arms deals to the Saudis. Under UK law, weapons should not be exported “if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international law.” Government data shows that the UK has licensed £4.6 billion (US$6.3 billion) worth of arms to the Saudis since they began bombing Yemen in March 2015.
“despite concerns over the regime’s human rights record and the war in Yemen” is code for “Don’t want to damage mega-arms deals” https://t.co/BhCM8zFynC
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said that the crown prince should never have been invited to Downing Street. “He leads a regime with an appalling human rights record and has overseen the destruction of Yemen,” Smith said.
“The UK has armed and supported the terrible war since day one, and there is no doubt that arms sales will be top of the agenda next week. Theresa May is putting the interests of arms dealers above the rights of Yemeni people.”
Speaking ahead of the visit, Prime Minister May ignored the UK-Saudi arms deals and calls to arrest the prince on arrival. She instead hailed the “partnership between the UK and Saudi Arabia” that “helps make both of our countries safer through intelligence-sharing.”
Despite Johnson’s claims, activists have warned against interpreting the recent reforms as signaling an age of new freedoms for the Saudi people. Reprieve, a UK-based rights group that campaigns against the death penalty, said that “torture” and “an unprecedented number of executions” have occurred since bin Salman’s appointment to crown prince. They also said that May’s push for closer ties with the Saudi kingdom has already spelled more trouble for Saudi civilians.
Hey @BorisJohnson what do you think about Saudi Arabia sentencing Issa al-Nukheifi to six years in prison today for tweeting critically about the Saudi government? Tell us again why Mohammad bin Salman deserves our support. https://t.co/VhqDIaWRME
“Since his appointment as crown prince, the final death sentences of protesters, including a number who were children at the time, have been confirmed amid serious allegations of torture and an unprecedented number of executions,” Reprieve said. “The close relationship Theresa May trumpets has led to British police officers training Saudi agents in the kind of cyber-monitoring techniques which have been used to justify death sentences.”
By Thursday, more than 11,300 people had signed an online petition calling on the PM to cancel bin Salman’s UK visit. A coalition of human rights activists, including CAAT and Human Rights for Yemen, will host a protest outside Downing Street at 5pm on March 7.
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The US White House and Pentagon have dismissed Russia’s new nuclear arsenal as “no surprise.” American officials took the opportunity to accuse Russia of treaty violations and boast that their arsenal is “second to none.”
“We’ve been watching Russia for a long time. We’re not surprised,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White following Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation address. Putin had unveiled a new Russian strategic arsenal that he said was bound to make Washington stop looking down on Moscow. Russia’s new deterrent, Putin said, is invulnerable to interception.
“America is moving forward to modernize our nuclear arsenal and make sure our capabilities aren’t being matched,” White bragged in response.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders reiterated the theme, pointing to America’s massive military budget, as well as US President Donald Trump’s own nuclear doctrine.
“US defense capabilities are and will remain second to none, and now because of the new defense budget of $700 billion our military will be far stronger than ever,” Sanders said. “As the president’s nuclear posture review made clear, America is moving forward to modernize our nuclear arsenal and ensure our capabilities are unmatched.”
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She also accused Russia of violating a 1980s missile treaty. “President Putin has confirmed what the United States government has known all along, which Russia has denied: Russia has been developing destabilizing weapons systems for over a decade in direct violations of its treaty obligations,” Sanders said.
At the State Department, spokeswoman Heather Nauert attacked the CGI video simulation played during Putin speech to demonstrate the new missiles’ capabilities. Nauert claimed it depicted an attack on the US, despite there being no depictions of presumed targets or points of impact. When journalists in the briefing room, both Russian and American, pointed out that detail, she deflected their comments.
During his address, Putin said everything Russia is doing to strengthen its defenses is within existing arms control agreements. “I should specifically say that Russia’s growing military strength is not a threat to anyone; we have never had any plans to use this potential for offensive – let alone aggressive – goals.”
Russia’ embassy to the US issued a separate statement, pointing out that the Sarmat missile Putin showcased is within the provisions of the 1982 INF treaty.
President Putin reversed the accusations in an interview with NBC that followed his address and the American reactions. “If we are to speak of an arms race, then an arms race began at exactly the time and moment when the US opted out of the anti-ballistic missile treaty,” he told host Megyn Kelly.
Watch Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov attend and test out Russia’s brand new military buggy on the streets of Grozny. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscrip…
Ever wonder how the television, radio and newspaper people select whom they are going to interview or get quotes from when they are reporting the news or producing a feature? I do. What I’ve learned is that they go to guests that are connected with the established powers—such as think tanks in Washington, D.C. that work on “the military-industrial complex” policy (to borrow President Eisenhower’s words) and somehow lean toward more warmongering (e.g. NPR and the U.S.-Iran relationship) or backing more weapon systems (such as a new nuclear bomb arsenal and more F-35s and aircraft carriers).
You won’t be hearing from MIT Professor Emeritus Ted Postal on the chronic failures of the anti-ballistic missile program (spending $13 billion this coming year).
Whether it is NPR, PBS, the network news programs, the Sunday news interview shows and too often the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal their interviewees are the defenders of the status quo or those with corporatists’ viewpoints.
These news outlets seem oblivious to the blatant economic conflicts of interest inherent in groups such as the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and professors who moonlight with corporations. These interviewees have economic and ideological axes to grind that are not disclosed to the general viewers, listeners and readers, when they are merely described as “experts.”
WARNING: DISTURBING IMAGES Police officers discovered a 30-year-old corpse after local residents reported that their 77-year old neighbor had gone missing in the last few days. SOURCE: Communicat…
The rate of layoffs as measured by U.S. jobless claims fell to the lowest level since 1969, reflecting the strongest labor market since the end of the dotcom boom nearly two decades ago.
Initial U.S. jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 210,000 in the seven days ended Feb. 24. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast claims to total 226,000.
New claims haven’t been this low since December 1969. The more stable monthly average of claims declined by 5,000 to 220,500, the government said Thursday.
That’s also the lowest level since 1969. The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, known as continuing claims, increased by 57,000 to 1.93 million.
This article was posted: Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 9:03 am
In an article published in Al-Monitor without a single verifiable citation, Israeli journalist, Shlomi Eldar, went to unprecedented lengths to divert attention from the corruption in his country.
He spoke of Palestinian journalists – all speaking on condition of anonymity – who ‘applauded’ and ‘admired’ Israeli media coverage of corruption scandals surrounding the country’s rightwing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Eldar’s approach is underhanded and journalistically unsound.
The Israeli media, which has largely supported Netanyahu’s devastating wars on Gaza, continues to relentlessly defend the illegal occupation of Palestine and to serve as a shield for Israel’s stained reputation on the international stage. It is hardly praiseworthy, even if it arguably provides decent coverage for the Netanyahu investigations.
For an Israeli journalist to handpick a few Palestinians who, allegedly, praised the war crimes-apologist Israeli media is a remarkable event that surely cannot be satisfactorily addressed in anonymity.
But Eldar’s journalism aside, one would think that seeking Palestinian admiration for Israeli media should be the least urgent question to address at this time. Others are far more pressing. For example:
Is corruption among Israel’s political elite symptomatic of greater moral and other forms of corruption that have afflicted the entire society?
And, why is it that, while Netanyahu is being indicted for bribery, no Israeli…
Theresa May has rejected the EU’s plan to include Northern Ireland in a future customs union. “No UK Prime Minister could ever agree to it,” she told Parliament, as it would jeopardize “the constitutional integrity of the UK.”
The European Commission’s plan contravenes the Prime Minister’s stance on Northern Ireland. In essence, May’s position is that Northern Ireland will be under the same regulations as the rest of the UK post-Brexit, and will consequently have to leave the EU customs union.
In a private letter, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged the PM not to pursue a “no border” policy for Ireland post-Brexit. Rather the government should “stop this border becoming significantly harder,” according to the letter, which leaked to Sky News.
Following the leak Johnson sought to defend himself, telling reporters: “What the letter says is that actually there are very good solutions that you could put in place that would obviate – prevent – any type of hard border, but would allow goods, people to move freely without let or hindrance.” He went on to say this would still allow “the UK to come out of the customs union, take back control of our tariff schedules, take back control of commercial policy, and take back control of our regulations,” adding “It’s a very positive letter.”
President of the European Council Donald Tusk will meet with May ahead of the PM’s major Brexit speech on Friday. Tusk will ask May for “a better idea that would be as effective in preventing a hard border” on the island of Ireland.
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UK university lecturers, college staff and students hold joint protest in London
By
our reporters
1 March 2018
Around four thousand university lecturers, college staff and students demonstrated in London yesterday. The protest, called by the University and College Union (UCU) was held on the last day of this week’s three-day strike by lecturers against attacks on their pensions by the employers’ body—Universities UK (UUK). The college workers were staging the first day of a two-day strike at 14 Further Education (FE) institutions nationwide in opposition to a derisory one percent pay increase.
Marchers braved the cold and snow in London
The march, held during a snowstorm and in freezing weather, began at Malet Street before proceeding through central London to a rally at Westminster Central Hall, near Parliament.
World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to some of those attending the demonstration.
Kate is a lecturer at the Institute of the Americas at University College London (UCL). She said, “One of the main reasons that I’m out on strike is that I am looking towards the future without defined benefits. It means living the last decades of your life with a lot of uncertainty, an inability to plan. It’s also a step towards the individualisation of higher education that I feel strongly to be a collective enterprise at all levels.”
Kate explained the impact of the highly causualised Higher Education (HE) sector, saying, “I’m now on a permanent contract two years out of my PhD, but for a lot of my peers it’s very much a case of year to year contracts, term to term. And coming through graduate work now, you look towards the future with a lot of anxiety about the casualisation of your workplace and the increasing disparity between the haves and the…
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert’s refusal to take questions from Russian TV raised eyebrows, even among US journalists, who took to their Russian colleagues’ defense after Nauert implied they are Kremlin agents.
Nauert went on an ill-mannered tirade against the Russian media when she responded to a question from Rossya 1 TV journalist Aleksandr Khristenko during a policy briefing on Thursday. Khristenko asked about the prospects of the US and Russia cooperating on nuclear non-proliferation in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks during the state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.
In the address, Putin unveiled the newest additions to Russia’s nuclear deterrents, including the next-generation Sarmat ICBM that is capable of attacking across the South and North Pole as well as the yet-unnamed nuclear cruise missiles. The speech incorporated videos, which showed missile test launches and a simulation of their trajectory to demonstrate the nearly unlimited range of the ICBMs. The videos did not show the moment of impact or presumable targets of a nuclear-powered strike.
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Nauert had no doubts that the simulation was an attack on America. “It’s certainly concerning to see your government, your country, to put together that kind of video that shows the Russian government attacking the United States, that’s certainly a concern of us, and I don’t think that it’s very constructive, nor it’s responsible,” she said, answering Khristenko.
Then, another journalist from Russia’s Channel One pointed out that the two missiles shown in the simulation videos were actually sent in different directions and nothing suggests they were aimed at the US.
Nauert asked the journalist where she was from. Upon hearing the answer, the diplomat exclaimed:
“You’re from Russian TV too! OK! Enough said then, I’ll move on,” Nauert said.
Her answer prompted a journalist from CNN, who was otherwise an unlikely defender of the Russian media, to break in: “I’m sorry. But what does that mean? There are not officials of the Russian government, they are just asking a question about Russia.”
This caused Nauert to jump to her favorite Russia narrative of bashing Russian media as “the long arm” of the Kremlin.
“Oh really? OK! We know that RT and other Russian news – so-called news – organizations are funded and directed by the Russian government,” she said to a briefing room buzzing with bemused journalists.
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Matt Lee, a veteran reporter from AP, again pointed out the obvious, telling Nauert that the “video does not actually show missiles hitting anything,” and asked her if it was the “assessment of the US government” that the presumed target was the United States.
Lee, who was previously called out by Nauert for “working for RT” when he asked a similarly innocuous question about the searches in the Russian consulate in the US, did not elicit a response either. Nauert suggested that everyone interested can watch the video once again.
“It certainly looks like that. I ask you go back and take look at that. It’s pretty clear what their target is. OK? Let’s move on from this.”
It is certainly not the first time Nauert has launched an attack on the Russian media in response to tricky questions. She dubbed RT correspondent Sameera Khan “a representative of the Russian government” at a briefing in December when Khan asked if the State Department still believes that RT’s work in the US would not be hindered by its registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) after RT America was stripped of its Congress credentials. While Nauert assured RT that it would not happen back in October, she used air quotes to speak derisively about the “Russian news.”
A Russian man had a rude awakening when he found his car buried under a massive pile of snow in the northern Siberian city of Norilsk on Thursday. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to…
A group of students at the University of Texas, San Antonio plans to start publishing a “No Whites Allowed” (NWA) magazine.
According to a Facebook event titled “Zine Release,” the magazine will be revealed on March 1 at La Botanica, which describes itself as “Texas’ first vegan restaurant with a full bar and performance and event venue.”
“Thursday at La Botanica from 8-11pm there will be the NWA Zine release party! This zine specifically features and promotes black and brown lgbtqa creatives,” the description states. “We hope to showcase our talent and create an open space for our voices to be heard.”
The description goes on to explain that “for a very long time, black and brown people, especially those who are queer, have been told that they don’t have a space. That they don’t have a voice or a say. With this we would like to create a space.”
Student Kayla Ramey further elaborated on the event’s purpose in a comment.
“I keep having to make this post but I’ll try it one last time so everyone clearly understands. The name of the zine is No Whites Allowed. It’s a zine for QPOC and by QPOC,” Ramey wrote, noting that while “white people are welcome to come to the event,” the “main goal is to celebrate and empower people that society routinely ignores and rejects.”
“Support from white people and heterosexual people is appreciated but is not necessary for the success of this event,” she continued, stating in a second comment that…
California Democrats did not endorse longstanding Senator Dianne Feinstein for the upcoming primary election, setting the stage for a tough campaign against challengers such as California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, reports Dennis J Bernstein.
By Dennis J Bernstein
It is no secret that the second most powerful politician in the State of California, Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, is gearing up for a knock-down, drag-out primary fight with California’s senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein. Many feel it’s time for a changing of the guard and time for a person of color to represent the white minority state of California.
Kevin de Leon (Wikipedia)
This passed weekend, California democrats refused to endorse Senator Feinstein, in a major rebuke of California’s senior senator, opening the door wide for de León to run.
According to the Sacramento Bee, “As a child, de León spent time on both sides of the border, in Tijuana, Baja California, and Logan Heights in San Diego and identifies strongly with Mexican culture, though he doesn’t know where his grandparents are from.”
Senator de León recently led a coalition to sponsor legislation “that addresses lapses in our justice and labor systems creating serious challenges for the California’s immigrant community, including stronger wage theft laws, securing u-visas from law enforcement, and providing healthcare for undocumented children.”
Before joining the Legislature, de León taught citizenship courses to immigrants. When he was sworn in as the 47th president pro tem of the California Senate in 2014, he became the first Latino to hold the position in more than a century.
Bernstein spoke to Kevin de León on February 14, 2018.
Dennis Bernstein: With everyone watching Washington and wondering whether humane immigration reform can be passed, what are you expecting from Congress?
Kevin de León: These are very difficult times for many of us. As a nation, we are grappling with the resurgence of ugly, hateful ideologies, including white supremacy, spewing from the highest levels of our federal government. We are confronting something we have never had to come to…
The Ash Wednesday massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, seems to have broken more hearts than similar tragedies that preceded it. It was no more senseless than other American school shootings, but there is something about the innocence and bravery and eloquence of the youthful survivors that has touched the souls of Americans deeply.
After burying their dead, the survivors have mobilized into a mighty political force that loosely seeks more laws to regulate the right to keep and bear arms. The young people, traumatized and terrified with memories of unspeakable horror that will not fade, somehow think that a person bent on murder will obey gun laws.
Every time I watch these beautiful young people, I wince, because in their understandable sadness is the potential for madness — “madness” being defined as the passionate and stubborn refusal to accept reason. This often happens after tragedy. After watching the government railroad Abraham Lincoln’s killer’s conspirators — and even some folks who had nothing to do with the assassination — the poet Herman Melville wrote: “Beware the People weeping. When they bare the iron hand.”
Suicide Pact: The Radi… Andrew P. Napolitano Best Price: $3.99 Buy New $2.50 (as of 09:20 EST – Details)
It is nearly impossible to argue rationally with tears and pain, which is why we all need to take a step back from this tragedy before legally addressing its causes.
If you believe in an all-knowing, all-loving God as I do, then you accept the concept of natural rights. These are the claims and privileges that are attached to humanity as God’s gifts. If you do not accept the existence of a Supreme Being, you can still accept the concept of natural rights, as…
A new show on RT premieres today, hosted by the former Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa. His first guest is the American linguist and philosopher, and author of more than 100 books, Noam…
New York City will pay a total of $180,000 to three Muslim women who were forced to take off their hijabs for mug shots, the Daily News has learned.
Settlements in the three cases were filed Monday in Brooklyn federal court, with the lawsuits spurring new NYPD procedures on photographing people donning religious head coverings.
The cases date back as far as 2012, when a Brooklyn high school girl identified as “G.E.” was arrested after a scuffle with two girls she thought were spreading rumors about her.
The criminal case was dismissed, but it was the initial mug shots that mattered in the civil rights case that followed.
There are just the merest signs that common sense may be making a rare appearance in the debate around the Great Russian Bot Panic. Some unlikely sources have even suggested perhaps Russian interference is not behind everything.
A mixture of healthy skepticism and a lack of evidence looks to be shifting the debate around just how much influence alleged Russian bots on social media have on such political phenomena as Brexit or Trump.
It may have the uncomfortable effect of forcing nations like Britain and America to face up to the realities of their current political situations. The idea of Russian bots and Russian interference has become a convenient crutch to avoid responsibility.
Just to pick a few examples, The Guardian in the past week has run a column titled “The Hysteria over Russian bots has reached new levels” and the Washington Post ran the headline “The US political conversation is not and probably never was driven by Russian social-media bots.” I’m not saying the conspiracy theories have been put to bed, but at least there are glimpses of a more rational debate.
Perhaps most significantly, an investigation comes from the World Editor of Buzzfeed News Miriam Elder, who has published an article titled “Stop Blaming Russia for Everything.”
The significance is not just the content of the story, but the author. Elder is regarded in some circles as a high-profile member of the anti-Putin western press pack; certainly it’s a safe bet that she won’t be writing any glowing profile pieces on the Russian president soon. Buzzfeed took a proud 8th place in RT’s highly scientific Top 10 Russophobes list last year.
Apologies to Elder, by the way. She will be mortified that RT is reporting on her article. In her piece she echoes a sentiment RT has been attempting to get across for some time about the mythical influence of alleged Russian bots in American politics. To quote Elder “This is, not to mince words, total bullshit.”
She goes on to say “The thing is, nearly every time you see a story blaming Russian bots for something, you can be pretty sure that the story can be traced back to a single source: The Hamilton 68 dashboard, founded by a group of respected researchers, including Clint Watts and JM Berger, and currently run under the auspices of the German Marshall Fund.”
Elder interviewed Clint Watts, and quotes him as saying “I’m not convinced on this bot thing.” As she points out, this is one of the people most responsible for popularizing the idea of Russian bots in the first place.
Read more
The dashboard described above “monitors 600 Twitter accounts linked to Russian influence efforts online”. Watts is quoted by Elder in her article as saying “there are certain times when it does give you great insights, but it’s not a one-time, I look at it for five seconds and write a newspaper article and then that’s it. That doesn’t give you any context.”
Elder herself suggests that “Everyone seems to want to believe that Russian trolls are ruling the internet.” That does appear to be true of the ongoing investigation of Britain’s Committee on Digital, Culture Media and Sport, which is looking under every figurative rock to find evidence of Russian interference in Brexit, sometimes twice.
Facebook’s UK policy director Simon Milner sent a letter on Wednesday to the committee, saying the social media giant had been unable to “identify clusters of coordinated Russian activity around the Brexit referendum that were not identified previously.”
This was the second letter Facebook has sent to the inquiry into fake news, saying they could find no evidence of Russian activity. A sign of how deep the current narrative is entrenched is that Damian Collins MP who is heading up the investigation simply refused to accept the conclusions of the first letter.
Twitter has also told the committee it cannot find the evidence it wants. What is often overlooked is that the giant social media companies have not appeared to voluntarily support the Russian influence narrative, and they are the ones with access to the evidence.
In February a UK based PR firm named 89up published a study which seemed to provide those who want definitive proof of Russian interference in Brexit with all they could wish for.
It wasn’t. We were researching Russian bots, and admittedly found little. We kept coming across your articles. Hence research. You should be flattered by our praise of your organic reach. We will continue to disagree on our conclusions for policymakers.
It was obvious though that the self-acknowledged pro-EU group was spinning its conclusions to fit the message, as was more or less admitted by the chief executive of the group. Its claim that Russian outlets like RT were more influential on Twitter than the official campaigns pushing for Britain to leave the EU could not actually be proven based on their data.
Perhaps something could be read into the fact that 89up also has not made public the data it used to make its laughably alarmist conclusions. The 89up report failed to answer the following questions that Elder posed in her article: “Did Russian troll efforts influence any votes? How do we even qualify or quantify that?”
A lot of people dipping in and out of this debate may be surprised to learn that actually, there is no definitive evidence, and those with access to the real numbers are the biggest cynics of all.
The US Ambassador to Mexico has announced her resignation. Roberta Jacobson will step down from her diplomatic post in May, amid tense bilateral relations between the two nations.
Jacobson confirmed her resignation with a statement in Spanish on her Twitter account.
“After 31 years of serving the US government, I will leave at the beginning of May in search of new opportunities. I leave knowing that the US-Mexico relation is strong and crucial. Together we are stronger!”
Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Jacobson became the ambassador to Mexico in May 2016. Her resignation takes effect on May 5, two years to the day after she was sworn in. Former Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted a message of thanks.
Current US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed his Mexican counterpart, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, of the resignation in a February 17 phone call, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said. According to the ministry, the appointment of a new ambassador was approved on February 26. Mexico stopped short of naming Jacobson’s replacement, however.
“It is exclusively the job of the US government to reveal publicly who it will name to lead its diplomatic representation in Mexico,” the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.
Speculation about the identity of Jacobson’s replacement has started to mount. Mexican newspaper Reforma reported that former AT&T Chief Executive Ed Whitacre is in line to be the next ambassador to Mexico. Whitacre is a former president of the Boy Scouts of America and a board member of ExxonMobil.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump plans to nominate Ed Whitacre (former AT&T, GM CEO) as new US Ambassador to Mexico, sources tell me. In 1990, Whitacre was key biz partner to billionaire Carlos Slim in his historic bid for Telmex. He would replace career diplomat Roberta Jacobson via @Reformapic.twitter.com/Ot5elmS0EB
Jacobson did not go into detail on the reasons behind her resignation. However, it is no secret that diplomatic ties between Washington and Mexico City have been strained during President Donald Trump’s administration. The ambassador was often vocal over her differences with some of the US president’s policies, including his proposed border wall.
Trump has repeatedly asserted his commitment to building a wall along the US-Mexican border and to uphold his vow that Mexico will pay for it. The US president has also threatened to abandon the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has currently entered into the seventh round of talks in Mexico City.
….The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous $71 billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S. The $20 billion dollar Wall is “peanuts” compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S. NAFTA is a bad joke!
Relations further deteriorated this week as Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto cancelled a planned visit to the US after a frosty phone call with Trump. The leaders reportedly had a heated exchanged over the proposed border wall.
Jacobson’s departure joins a steady stream of senior career diplomats who have left during the Trump administration. State Department’s third-ranking official, Tom Shannon, who has extensive experience in Latin America, announced he was stepping down last month. Meanwhile, the special envoy for North Korea, Joseph Yun, announced this week he will be retiring for personal reasons, effective as of Friday.
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US President Donald Trump has announced that his country would impose steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to protect American producers, but critics say it would fail to boost jobs and risks starting a trade war with China.
The US oil and gas industry on Thursday pounced on Trump’s plan to slap tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum, saying the controversial move would kill energy jobs by raising costs for big infrastructure projects.
Trump believes the tariffs will safeguard US jobs but many economists say they will destroy more jobs than they create.
“It’ll be 25 percent for steel and it’ll be 10 percent for aluminum … and it’ll be for a long time,” Trump said. “We’re going to build our steel industry back and our aluminum industry back.”
America’s top energy industry trade groups, which rely on imported steel for drilling equipment, pipelines, liquefied natural gas terminals and…
San Sebastian’s Ondarreta beach was covered in snow, as the cold snap continued to spread throughout Europe on Monday. COURTESY: RT’s RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE – FOR LICENSING…
Russia’s new hypersonic gliding warhead called ‘Avangard’ can reach the speed of Mach-20 and has high maneuvering capabilities that make it immune to all anti-missile weapons existing…
Facebook page shows support for “the resistance” & numerous other left wing causes
Paul Joseph Watson PrisonPlanet.com March 1, 2018
The Massachusetts man charged with sending a threatening letter filled with white powder to Donald Trump Jr. that sent his wife to the hospital is a far-left gun control advocate who has supported numerous anti-Trump political causes.
24-year-old Daniel Frisiello was arrested after a federal investigation traced the unsigned letters to him as a result of Frisiello also ordering a “glitter bomb” for one of the intended recipients using his own name.
“You are an awful, awful person. I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV,” Frisiello wrote in the letter addressed to Trump Jr.
It also said: “You the family idiot. Eric looks smart. This is the reason why people hate you. You are getting what you deserve. So shut the f*** up.”
A cursory scan of Frisiello’s Facebook page confirms him to be a gun control advocate who has endorsed and supported numerous anti-Trump political causes and campaigns.
Numerous posts over the last two weeks by Frisiello expressed support for the Parkland students who have been given platforms by the mainstream media to advocate for Second Amendment restrictions.
“Oh how karmas a bitch!” wrote Frisiello in response to companies ending their relationship with the NRA over the Parkland shooting. He also donated to the anti-gun March For Life which is set to take place later this month.
“Oh how I laughed! Karmas a bitch when you get money from the NRA!” wrote Frisiello in response to Senator Marco Rubio being confronted during last week’s CNN town hall.
Frisiello’s “likes” include numerous anti-Trump campaigns as well as pages such as “CNN Heroes,” MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and COngressman Adam Schiff.
The Huffington Post piece (2/27/18) that revealed editorial page editor James Bennet’s declaration that “the New York Times is in favor of capitalism.”
Media criticism is, more often than not, a practice of inference: seeing patterns and inferring from those patterns the political make-up of media. Occasionally, however, decision-makers from major media outlets come right out and openly declare their ideology. This is what New York Times editorial page editor James Bennet—likely the most influential gatekeeper in all of media—did when he told Times staffers in a closed-door meeting last December that the paper of record was “pro-capitalism.”
A recording of this meeting (originally called because of internal pushback on the right-wing shift in the Times‘ opinion section) was obtained by the Huffington Post’s Ashley Feinberg (2/27/18). In it, Bennet tells his nervous coworkers that the Times is, above all, a capitalist publication:
I think we are pro-capitalism. The New York Times is in favor of capitalism because it has been the greatest engine of, it’s been the greatest anti-poverty program and engine of progress that we’ve seen.
This is a massively controversial claim Bennet just tossed out there, because he believes it not to be one—but rather a self-evidently true axiom. Without even litigating the dubious idea capitalism is “the greatest anti-poverty program and engine of progress” the world has ever seen (what economic system, one may wonder, does Bennet think animated slavery and colonial exploitation?), the fact that one of the most influential people in media views it as an uncontroversial statement of fact is very telling.
The most pernicious ideology of our media class, as FAIR has noted time and again, is the belief they don’t have an ideology; the belief that the American ruling class and its media auxiliaries have reached the End of History, that capitalism is a non-negotiable good, and the job of media curators is to manage how best to implement this good. That there could be another way of looking at things, or that these assumptions should be challenged on a fundamental level, is tantamount to Flat-Eartherism or Holocaust denial.
An equally telling section of the transcript is when an unidentified New York Times staffer asks why the point of view of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who ran a strong second in the 2016 Democratic primaries and is one of the most popular active politicians in the country, didn’t have any representation in their opinion selection:
During the election, you had no strong advocate for Bernie Sanders, or any of those positions. And so I guess, in the more recent months, in your attempts to find those voices, where have you been looking, what types of people have you been looking for, and how are you trying to get a more diverse group of people regularly writing in the op-ed section?
What follows is a totally incoherent non-answer:
I think we need, and you know, I’m sorry if I’m going to talk in code a little bit here, but I’m not talking about ideology necessarily. I’m talking about identity, as well. What columnists do, you know, again, highly intellectually honest, highly entertaining, highly interesting writers who have a lot to say — hard to find those people from the get-go. What a columnist is is a trusted voice in your ear that helps you process, kind of, the world in real time, right? Through a particular lens. And there are a number of lenses we’re missing right now, I think. And a lot of those are, it’s gender and it’s identity, you know, as well as ideology.
So where am I looking? I’m asking, I’m asking you guys. You know, send me names, please. You know, if there are people that you’re reading that you think belong in the New York Times. You know, please. I always, when I was at The Atlantic, I always kept a list of Atlantic writers who didn’t work for The Atlantic, just who felt like — I was at The Atlantic magazine before I came back to the Times, and there was a particular kind of, not that dissimilar from the kind of people we’re looking for now, with voice. And I could see them on other platforms, and they just didn’t know that they were Atlantic people yet, but they were.
And I don’t have as good a list now as I did then. It might be my own failing. Earlier I blamed the environment for that. But I’m taking nominations. I’ve been…. If I could, this is what I would be spending 90 percent of my time on. Because hiring in general, and I’m sure you guys feel this, too, is the most important thing that we do. Like, that’s the most important editing we do, is picking the people. After that, you know, you ideally cut them loose to do their thing. In reality, I’m spending a small percentage of my time on this. So I would love help. So please send your nominations my way.
The thought of hiring a staff columnist sympathetic to Sanders had clearly never occured to Bennet. Because—as his own comments indicate—the prima facie beauty and virtue of capitalism is an indisputable truth, one someone partial to Sanders’ brand of verbal class war would likely challenge
Instead, as FAIR (4/20/17, 6/20/17) noted of the New York Times last year, the so-called liberal media drifts further and further right even as the Democratic Party base grows more and more progressive. On the dubious altar of “ideological diversity,”the Times seeks out right-wing provocateurs like Bret Stephens and Bari Weiss—those who have mastered the careerist trick of being offensive without ever being subversive—but Bennet mysteriously can’t find anyone further left than anti-Sanders partisan Paul Krugman.
“Ideological diversity” at the Times has time and again meant augmenting their pro-Israel, pro-capitalist, pro-bombing liberals with pro-Israel, pro-capitalism, pro-bombing conservatives. This is the scope of discourse at the paper of record, and one now openly acknowledged by its top opinion shaper.
You can send a message to the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com (Twitter:@NYTOpinion). Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective.
Theresa May could regret planning her (latest) key Brexit speech for a Friday, as it has left the rest of the week free for a whole range of political heavyweights to pre-empt and undermine her.
Two former British prime ministers, the Irish leader, the leader of the opposition and the EU’s key negotiators have all offered the current prime minister their thoughts in the run-up to her keynote address, and none of them were in the mood to hold back.
May’s address today is the culmination of a series of speeches from the Tory MPs running the Brexit debacle. Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox all failed to reassure anyone that solutions are close.
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According to reports, the prime minister will tell the world that she plans to “secure an ambitious economic partnership with the EU.” This is the kind of sitting-on-the-fence statement that causes anger on all sides of the debate.
The EU doesn’t want to know what she wants to do, but rather how she plans to do it. The anti-Brexit brigade, personified by the ever-present and widely unwelcome Tony Blair, wants some detail so they know exactly how to sabotage Britain’s attempt to leave the EU.
If May wants to project a friendly face for the cameras in her mission to secure her ultimate goal of frictionless trade, it was made harder when it became clear that the draft Brexit treaty the EU plans to put forward includes one very small detail…the de facto annexation of Northern Ireland.
May’s response was: “No UK Prime Minister could ever agree to it.” Herein lies the problem: who exactly is willing to agree on anything?
The main issue this week has been what to do with the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Should it become a hard border with customs checks, or a soft border, as it is now? Neither May or the EU want a hard border, but neither can’t work out how to officially agree on that. If the border remains soft, it means Britain has not retaken control of its borders with the EU after all.
One possible consequence of UK #Brexit red lines is a hard border on the island of Ireland. EU27 wants to prevent this, hence the proposal to “establish a common regulatory area” – if no other solution found. Today in London I will ask if the UK government has a better idea.
On Thursday, EU Council President Donald Tusk called on May to offer “new ideas” to prevent a hard border. Realistically, no one is expecting her to come up with one.
If there was any doubt about just how big a task May faces, the following quotes from major political figures come from the last few days alone. The pressure is massive.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair in Brussels on Thursday, March 1
“Some in Britain believe that therefore Europe will bend in its negotiating stance and allow Britain largely unfettered access to Europe’s single market without the necessity of abiding by Europe’s rules. This won’t happen because quite simply it can’t.”
Former Prime Minister John Major in London on Wednesday, February 28
“We simply cannot move forward with leaving the EU, the Single Market, the Customs Union and the ECJ, whilst at the same time expecting à la carte, beneficial-to-Britain, bespoke entrance to the European market. It is just not credible.”
A willingness to compromise is essential. If either side – the UK or the EU – is too inflexible, too unbending, too wedded to what they won’t do – then the negotiations will fail.”
European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, March 1
“In a few hours, I will be asking London whether the UK government has another idea that will be as effective in preventing a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.”
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Wednesday, February 28
“It’s not okay for people, whether pro-Brexit politicians in Britain or parties in Northern Ireland, to just say ‘no’ now. It’s incumbent on them, if they can’t accept the backstop, well then they must detail how Option A or B would work, and actually write them down, they can’t be theoretical stuff about congestion charges and tolling in another country.”
The European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels, March 1
“The UK is closing the door on itself one by one and the only possible model which remains is that of the free trade agreement, as we did recently with Canada, Japan or Korea.”
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in Coventry, February 26
“The country is still in the dark about what this divided Conservative government actually wants out of Brexit. They can’t agree amongst themselves about what their priorities are or what future they want for Britain after Brexit. They’ve got no shortage of soundbites and slogans of course.”
The Foreign Secretary says it will be “a liberal Brexit,” the Prime Minister says it will be a “red white and blue Brexit,” or on other days it’s a “bespoke economic partnership.”
Public schools have joined the ever-growing list of US institutions enlisting robots to pick up the slack – sometimes literally – of human employees, with machines filling such jobs as cleaning, serving, retail and policing.
Public schools in Moore, Oklahoma, made the temporary robotic addition to their cleaning staff last week to spray a chlorine mist following high absence rates due to illness in the district. The robots were on loan from the Norman Regional Health System, which is also lending the robots to schools in Norman and Noble districts as part of an outreach program.
The hospital also added the germ-killing robots, which create a 14-foot-wide “bubble” of ultraviolet C light that kills germs on any exposed surface, to their Porter Avenue and Tecumseh Road campuses in 2016, as part of an overall initiative to reduce infections.
Of course, the bionic buck doesn’t stop there. Amazon opened their first staffless supermarket in Seattle in December 2016, with future plans to extend the checkout-free supermarkets overseas.
Many associate the introduction of robot workers with factories and car manufacturers, but even one of the county’s most reliable companies for minimum-wage employment – McDonald’s – has also enlisted some high-tech help.
Last year, the fast-food chain was made faster by reducing labor costs when they rolled out a digital ordering kiosks in 2,500 of their 14,000 restaurants across the county. They plan on having every branch using the system by 2020.
Even the policing sector is not safe from robotic intrusion. More than 200 robots were transferred from the military to police forces around the country in the first half of 2016. It was more than any other year on record and it doesn’t account for the number of police robots they acquired straight from manufacturers.
With the threatening introduction of self-driving cars and the daily evolution of technology, robots are expected to take 40 percent of US jobs within the next 15 years. That is to say, it’s not “job-stealing foreigners” Americans need to be worried about.
US Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson will step down from the job in May, she said on Thursday, joining a growing list of senior State Department officials to resign from the agency during the presidency of Donald Trump.
Jacobson’s decision comes as relations between the two neighboring nations are at a low point, thanks to Trump’s threats to abandon the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and force Mexico to pay for a border wall.
“After 31 years of serving the US government, I will leave at the beginning of May in search of new opportunities. I leave knowing that the US-Mexico relation is strong and crucial,” she wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Together we are stronger!”
Jacobson added that she did not know who would replace her.
The US Embassy in Mexico City referred questions about Jacobson’s resignation to her Twitter statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Mexican newspaper Reforma reported that Trump plans to nominate former…
Check Keiser Report website for more: http://www.maxkeiser.com/ In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy discuss the richest people in history leaving economic chaos in their wake,…
The United States military says it is fully prepared to defend the country against any nuclear threat, after Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed a new nuclear weapon which he said makes nuclear defense systems “useless.”
“We’re not surprised by the statement, and the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters on Thursday after the announcement by Putin.
“We need to ensure we have a credible nuclear deterrent, and we are confident that we are prepared to defend this nation no matter what,” she added.
Delivering his annual state of the nation speech in Moscow earlier in the day, Putin expressed concerns about the new US nuclear posture which he said has lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.
The new American policy allows the use of nuclear weapons “in response to a conventional attack or even a cyberthreat,” the Russian president said,…
The New York Times is running a series of “Red Century” articles extolling some of the virtues of communism on the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Last August, the Times showcased a Yale University lecturer rhapsodizing about the Soviets’ environmental record in a piece headlined, “Lenin’s Eco-Warriors.” The piece hailed Lenin as “a longtime enthusiast for hiking and camping” who “agreed that protecting nature had ‘urgent value.’” The article extolled the nature preserves that the Soviet regime created early in its reign.
The Soviets long enjoyed good PR in the West for environmental policy. This had nothing to do with the actual facts on the ground; instead, communism was presumed benevolent because capitalist regimes presumably cared for nothing but profits. According to Marxist theory, environmental problems could not occur in socialist countries because man and nature were inherently in harmony. But that was one of the biggest pro-communist delusions fostered by the Western media.
When I roamed in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and East Germany in 1987, I saw environmental ravages that made northern New Jersey look almost bucolic. After World War II, the Soviet Union imposed a “forced industrialization” policy on Eastern Europe — overhauling the economies and directing almost all resources to heavy industrial production. Since most of those countries lack both raw materials and domestic energy supplies, the heavy industrial model was grossly inappropriate and led them to pursue development in an area where they had no comparative advantage over other countries.
In Leipzig, once one of the prettiest cities in East Germany, the windward sides of monuments and buildings look as if they were…
South Africa’s new President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to redistribute land by taking it from white farmers and giving it to black people. But why is the millionaire pursuing such a drastic…
The modern, affluent new China. Incomprehensible to many Western minds.
Why does the CPC want to remove the expression that the President and Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China “shall serve no more than two consecutive terms” from the country’s Constitution?
Why is China lifting the two-term limit for Xi? The answer can be found by reading the amendment itself (and remembering a little history):
1. In the seventh paragraph of the Preamble to the Constitution, “the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents” is amended to read “the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”; “improve the socialist legal system” is amended to read“improve the socialist rule of law”; before “work hard and self-reliantly” is inserted “apply a new vision of development”; and “promote the coordinated development of the material, political and spiritual civilizations, to turn China into a socialist country that is prosperous, powerful, democratic and culturally advanced” is amended to read “promote the coordinated development of the material, political, spiritual, social and ecological civilizations, to turn China into a strong modern socialist country that is prosperous,…
Breitbart | President Donald Trump commented on the dramatic gun control meeting with members of Congress on Thursday, urging them to “respect” the Second Amendment.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on EU leaders to change migration laws. Widely disliked though never short of an opinion on Brexit, Blair believes Brussels should be doing the work to stop Britain leaving the union.
Addressing fellow wonks at the European Policy Centre, a think-tank with links to the European Parliament, Blair urged EU leaders to address British voters’ concerns by offering reforms. The ex-PM said he believed the UK government would struggle to win a parliamentary vote on Brexit.
“[If] on mature reflection the final deal the British government offers is better than what we have… if, at this moment, Europe was to offer a parallel path to Brexit of Britain staying in a reforming Europe, that would throw open the debate,” Blair stated.
Reforms would be beneficial for both the UK and the EU, argued Blair, stating “a comprehensive plan on immigration control, which preserves Europe’s values” would be “right for Europe and timely for the evolving British debate on Brexit.”
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Blair’s latest intervention puts him at loggerheads with the party he once led. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, another target of Blair’s meddling, has unsurprisingly ignored his predecessor, having vowed to respect the result of the EU referendum, though this week he did pledge to remain in a customs union.
Opposition to the free movement of EU citizens was certainly a factor behind the 2016 Brexit vote. While EU leaders have remained open to reversing Brexit, the option of restricting free movement has never been on the table. Despite no reforms ever being offered by the EU in the Brexit negotiations, Blair seems to think his persuasive powers may do the trick.
For the avoidance of doubt, this is the same Blair who oversaw high incoming migration figures during his time in office, though he is more disliked by more people for following George Bush into the Iraq war. Blair continued his address by saying there was also broad sentiment in Europe that governments should be able to exert more control over EU migration. Immigration, Blair added, was good for the economy but had to be managed to avoid a backlash.
“European leaders share the responsibility to lead us out of the Brexit cul-de-sac,” Blair stated. “In Europe there is often a sorrowful shaking of heads and a shrugging of the shoulders, when what we need is strong engaged leadership to avoid a rupture which will do lasting damage to us both.”
Russia’s Embassy in Washington has been accused of taking over “an entire block” in a suspected “parking fraud” by a Twitter user. The unfounded allegations promptly became a “fact” when media outlets picked up the story.
The controversy surrounding the parking spaces erupted earlier this week when a vigilant Twitter user notified Washington’s District Department of Transportation (DDOT DC), posting pictures of reserved parking spaces near Russia’s embassy.
While the permits did not mention the embassy but only a parking company, the user jumped to conclusions that the Russians reserved only four spaces and then simply photocopied the placard to “take over an entire block.”
The DDOT stated that the permits had been placed “illegally” and took them down. The watchdog did not elaborate whether the permits were “photocopied” or had any other flaws. The user thanked the watchdog asking it to not “tell Vlad that I was the whistleblower.” It remained unclear whether he implied that the DDOT itself was in touch with the Russian president.
The permits reemerged later, however, but the same user notified the DDOT again and they were “revoked for noncompliance” by the watchdog.
Update: the signs are back. It looks like they applied for a second permit and hung more signs this morning. Don’t they need to be up 3 days in advance? Also, the date says printed 2/22, but they definitely weren’t there until today. Still taking up as much space as before. pic.twitter.com/wBd3JWxzTr
The parking company eventually reached the vigilante Twitter user, who provided proof that the permits were legit but were placed incorrectly by a 21-year-old employee of the company.
@tednorthrop 2 permits were for 4 spaces, 8 signs. The 3rd permit was for the entire block….21 y/o employee made honest mistake when posting on Sunday. He fixed it.But signs keep getting vandalized & torn down. Signs printed on 2/22 is actually issued date.We don’t control. pic.twitter.com/lSMf0yIAdM
The story was picked by some media outlets, including the Ukrainian branch of Voice of America (VoA), which repeated the Twitter user’s allegations of the embassy’s involvement.
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Some media outlets, namely SlavicSac.com and Forum Daily websites, went even further, turning the allegations into a bold statement that the Russian embassy “was caught for a parking fraud.” The Forum Daily later amended their story, retracting the headline that accused the Russian mission of “fraud” and softening the overall tone of the article. They also provided statements from the parking company and the embassy’s spokesman.
A spokesman for the embassy, Nikolay Lakhonin, then shed light on the parking spaces controversy, accusing media outlets of producing fake news and bringing the anti-Russian hysteria to a new low. The parking spaces had been booked by the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History for an event held in embassy’s film club, according to Lakhonin.
“For the convenience of students, show organizer has booked several spaces through the parking company for those students who would come by car to watch the film,” Lakhonin wrote on his Facebook page. While the embassy advised the VoA to reach out to the parking company for comments, the outlet ignored Russian officials and reiterated the allegations, while others turned them into a “fact,” he added.
The spokesman also mocked the “experts” who flocked to share their “deep knowledge on the matter” about the alleged Russian pesky activities. An “expert” from the controversial Bellincat investigative website, for example, claimed that the copiers, allegedly involved in multiplying the permits, were yet another new Russian “weapon.”
“The US budget-funded VoA and Radio Svoboda have spun the story of a Washington resident, who allegedly caught the Russian Embassy ‘capturing the parking lot.’ The fake was eagerly carried on by the USA ONE and Forum Daily. A ‘retraction’ was not published by everyone. Such are the media…” the embassy said on its Russian-language Twitter account.
https://democracynow.org – Extended discussion with world-famous filmmaker Raoul Peck about his new film, “The Young Marx,” his Oscar-nominated film about James Baldwin, “I Am Not Your…
Trump proposes cuts to heating aid while US house fire deaths spike
By
Steve Filips
1 March 2018
There have been 599 lives lost so far in 2018 across the United States, including 61 child fatalities, with this season’s severe winter and frigid temperatures driving the brutal escalation in fatalities.
This a significant rise over the same period last year, which saw 490 lives lost with a toll of 52 children under 14 years old. The previous heating season saw a total of 1,239 perish in fires between September 15, 2016 and March 15, 2017. This will be far surpassed this year with 1,396 lives lost since September 15 of last year.
Amidst the onslaught of debilitating injuries and unrelenting loss of lives caused by house fires, the Trump Administration is proposing to eliminate from the 2019 federal budget the lifeline for many low-income people, the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The program was funded with $3 billion for this season, a decline from $3.3 billion in the previous winter.
The average amount of funds received by those that receive LIHEAP aid is a miserly $366. While more than 101 million Americans met the poverty guidelines to qualify, less than 17 million applied for the aid in 2016.
Despite Trump’s tax giveaway to corporations and the wealthy utility companies are now demanding double-digit rate increases, illustrated by the example of National Grid, which provides services to customers in the northeastern US. Amongst an array of price hikes it is asking from the New York state Public Service Commission, long known as a rubber stamp, is a 20.5 percent raise in the natural gas delivery price.
This year’s increase in fatalities from house fires has been concentrated in the southern US where colder than usual weather has far exceeded the…
Even Charles Dickens, England’s masterful satirist of the Victorian upper class, couldn’t have imagined elite rulers using a box of food as a gratuitous way to slap poor people.
But Donald Trump and two of his slap-happy cabinet officials did imagine it — and then did it. They slipped a malicious, punish-the-poor provision into the food stamp budget Trump sent to Congress.
Instead of providing a small monthly allowance for destitute families to spend on foods of their choice, the Trump provision would take away half of the allowance and substitute a monthly box of peanut butter, canned goods, and other packaged edibles chosen for them by the federal government.
It’s bureaucratic, patronizing, and demeaning — and stupid. But Trump Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue hailed it as a “bold, innovative” idea.
Perdue has also disdainfully said that food stamp recipients are hooked on a culture of dependency. So maybe a diet of peanut butter will cure them of that.
CDC/ Debora Cartagena / PublicDomainFiles.com
Then came Trump budget director Mick Mulvaney, a tea party extremist who bizarrely tried putting a luxury spin on the government-issued box of grub by comparing it to Blue Apron, an upscale grocery delivery system.
But, Mick, get a clue — Blue Apron patrons get to choose what’s in their box, and it ain’t peanut butter. It’s locally-sourced, fresh food.
As Rep. Jim McGovern, who opposes the Trump mob’s food-stamp gut job, says in dismay of the administration: “My god, these people are awful. In addition to being totally misinformed on policy, they are really just not nice people.”
Less nice still is their real intention to kill the food stamp program entirely. Trump’s budget calls for slashing 30 percent of the funding this year.
As watchdogs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities put it, “That’s the real battle.” The food-box silliness is a distraction to let them pull off the big theft. For more info, go to www.cbpp.org.
https://democracynow.org – In West Virginia, public schools remain closed today, after the state’s teachers’ unions remained on strike over the high cost of health insurance. On Tuesday,…
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Wednesday attack the Trump administration over raids on over 150 illegal aliens in Northern California, calling it a “shocking abuse of law enforcement power.”
“Yet again, the White House has reached into our communities to indiscriminately detain scores of hard-working, law-abiding immigrants.” Pelosi wrote, despite the fact that she admitted that half of those swept up have criminal records, and all of them are in the US illegally.
Fully half of those swept up in the ICE raids have no criminal record. Tearing parents away from children & spouses away from loved ones – it’s clear the intent of this sweep was not to keep Americans safe. Read my full statement: https://t.co/PpN1hZ226g
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency noted earlier in the week that “About half of the individuals arrested also have criminal convictions in addition to their immigration violations, including convictions for assault/battery, crimes against children, weapons charges and DUI.”
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Nevertheless, Pelosi described the actions of ICE as intended to “terrorize” the illegals.
“This raid was intended solely to terrorize innocent immigrant families and instill fear in the hearts of our communities–not to keep Americans safe,” she said. “Parents will now be torn from their children, and spouses ripped away from their loved ones.”
Pelosi attacked ICE as “cowardly” while lauding the immigrants as “patriotic”.
“The Administration continues to brazenly target the cities that refuse to bow to its blatantly bigoted anti-immigrant and mass deportation agenda,” she wrote.
“The people of the San Francisco Bay Area will continue to oppose these cowardly…
Political correctness has reached the courtroom, with UK judges now being advised to drop words like ‘immigrant’ and ‘Afro-Caribbean’ to ensure fair trials. The new guidance also suggests being “slow” in imprisoning women.
An extract from guidance on appropriate court language argues that in order for there to be “true equality,” judges must adapt the way they address defendants. Judges are now being urged to refrain from using certain words, including ‘ethnic minorities,’ ‘afro-Caribbean’ and ‘transsexual,’ while ‘postman’ should be replaced by ‘postal operative.’
The instructions are an update to the 422-page Equal Treatment Bench Book, published by the Judicial College, the body in charge of training judges. The changes were led by Appeal judge, Dame Anne Rafferty. The new version explains that “using acceptable terminology avoids offending the relevant party or witness and gives confidence that they will receive a fair hearing.”
The guidelines also call for judges to be “slow” when it comes to jailing women, as imprisonment is believed to be more damaging to females than males. Going against the long-standing social norm whereby all are treated equally before the law, the guidelines suggest the opposite. “True equal treatment may not always mean treating everyone in the same way,” the new version reads.
The Bench Book adds: “Women remain disadvantaged in many public and private areas of their lives. The previous life experiences of women offenders, their reasons for offending, their offending patterns, the impact of custodial sentences on themselves and their dependants, and the long-term effect of prison sentences all tend to differ between men and women.”
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If judges deem it necessary to hand a jail sentence to defendants, they should consider suspending it, the guidance advises. It reads: “The impact of imprisonment on women, more than half of whom have themselves been victims of serious crime, is especially damaging and their outcomes are worse than men’s.”
A section on transgender people claimed the term ‘transgender’ should be dropped because “some people find it stigmatizing.” Transgender defendants are often ‘highly apprehensive’ about being jailed, the guidance adds.
In these cases courts should be taken in a private session and/or publicity on the trial restricted, less the evidence given expose the defendant for having a sex change.
Judicial College chief Lady Justice Rafferty said in a foreword to the book: “The profound desire of the team responsible for this revision is that all those in and using a court leave it conscious of having appeared before a fair minded tribunal.”
‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli concedes that he was “far from blameless” in a letter to a judge pleading for leniency, according to court filings. He was convicted of fraud after swindling investors out of millions of dollars.
Shkreli, once dubbed “the most hated man in America,” earned notoriety after increasing the price of a life-saving AIDS drug by 5,000% in 2014. The former pharmaceutical CEO was convicted last year of three counts of security fraud. He repeatedly misled investors in two failed hedge funds, at one point claiming there was $40 million in one of his funds when it actually only had $300.
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But now the “Pharma Bro” insists he has turned a corner: “I was wrong, I was a fool. I should have known better,” Shkreli wrote in the emotional letter to US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto.
“I accept the fact that I made serious mistakes, but I still believe that I am a good person with much potential,” Shkreli said.
Judge Matsumoto ruled on Monday that Shkreli was liable for nearly $10.5 million in losses in his securities fraud case. He may be looking at 20 years in prison when his sentencing comes up on March 9; his lawyers are asking the judge to sentence the convicted fraudster to somewhere between 12 and 18 months.
Shkreli has languished in jail since his bail was revoked in September 2017 after he made an offer on Twitter of $5,000 to anyone who could grab a strand of hair from Hillary Clinton.
Describing himself as an “irreverent and free-wheeling individual” Shkreli wrote in the letter that “The demons that haunted me — the root cause of my insecurity in my life — no longer all exist.”
https://democracynow.org – Two weeks after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, left 17 people dead, President Trump appears to have broken with the NRA and his Republican colleagues….
The United States has set up numerous military bases in Syria to divide the war-torn country and perpetuate the conflict there, while seeking to establish a permanent military presence in the region, an antiwar activist in San Francisco.
“It appears that the United States military is determined to maintain indefinitely a military presence in Syria ,as well as inside Iraq,” Said Richard Becker, a regional coordinator for the ANSWER Coalition, protest umbrella group consisting of many antiwar and civil rights organizations.
“This of course has the effect of partitioning Syria, dividing Syria into different zones of control and deteriorating Syria’s position as far as a sovereign country,” Becker said Thursday in an interview with Press TV.
A top Russian security official says the US has set up around 20 military bases in areas controlled by Kurdish militants it supports in northern Syria, adding that Washington “provoked” Turkey…
WASHINGTON – UltraViolet, a leading national women’s group, today launched a campaign demanding that Mitch McConnell and Republicans modernize its rules in the US Senate to allow new mothers to vote while caring for their children. The new campaign comes after expectant mother Senator Tammy Duckworth ((D-IL)—who will be the first U.S. Senator in history to give birth while in office—said in an interview with Politico that she cannot technically take maternity leave, citing Senate rules that bar children from the floor and require Senators to be physically present to cast a vote. More than 35,000 people have signed UltraViolet’s petition.
Our Funding Comes From You: Please support our Winter campaign with a tax-deductible contribution right now.
$50,000 Goal: $28,986 raised from 856 readers as of 12PM EST on March 1st
UltraViolet argues that outdated Senate rules will prevent new mother Senator Tammy Duckworth from doing the job that voters in Illinois sent her to Washington to do. The group notes that Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans could change the rules today and bring the Senate into this century if they wanted to, but they so far have declined to do so.
“Like too many working women in America, Senator Tammy Duckworth is being punished for giving birth,” explained Nita Chaudhary, Co-Founder of UltraViolet.” Because of the Senate’s sexist and backward rules, Senator Duckworth will be unable to do her critically important job and care for her newborn at the same time. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans, who control the Senate, could change the rules today. But so far they have refused to act. The current rules send a clear message that new moms are not welcome in the Senate. This type of discrimination ought to be unacceptable anywhere in society and particularly in the US Senate.”
There may be a day when you cannot run to a grocery store or pharmacy for medical supplies. A visit to a doctor may be impossible however there are a number of time-tested remedies that may prove useful. Having certain items on hand can help prepare you for situations where medical attention is necessary.
Here’s what should be in your homeopathic medicine kit
Aloe vera plant – Anyone who has had a sunburn knows how wonderful aloe vera can be to help with healing. Having a plant in your house makes sure you have it on hand and don’t have to run to the store. Fortunately, aloe vera plants are very easy to care for and do well both inside and outside.
Essential oils – While it is key to use essential oils wisely and carefully, they can be a great tool to have on hand for many different conditions. A number of guides are available with all but a list of their uses. Learn about some of them here. The ones I use most often are lavender, peppermint, lemon, a blend of oils for muscle aches, eucalyptus, and Thieves Oil. While there are some very expensive brands, independent tests concur that 1 Oz (30 ml) Amber Gla…
Buy New $9.65 (as of 10:25 EST – Details) Rocky Mountain Oils are just as effective and pure.
Lamb’s ear plant – A lamb’s ear plant is a fun plant to have in the garden since it feels very soft and is pretty. However, it can also be used as a bandage and has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
The former Conservative prime minister called on the UK Government to put the country’s interests above the “will of the people” and weaken its stance in the Brexit negotiations with the European Union.
Speaking before representatives of creative industries in London this Wednesday, former Prime Minister John Major unloaded on the supporters of Brexit, urging Theresa May to offer a free vote to Conservative MPs on the final deal with the EU.
Major proclaimed that he is “neither a Europhile nor a Eurosceptic,” pointing to numerous clashes that his Conservative Government (1990-1997) had with Brussels.
“As Prime Minister, I said “No” to federal integration, “No” to the Euro Currency, and “No” to Schengen — which introduced free movement of people within the European Union but without proper control of external borders,” he said.
At the same time, the former Conservative leader argued that he is “a realist,” who is committed to ensuring the prosperity and stability of the UK, while claiming that Brexit, particularly the exit from the European single market, will “inflict economic self-harm on the British people”.Speaking about the fact that Brexit was a result of the nation-wide referendum, where the British electorate expressed its preference for leaving the EU, Major said that it is up to the politicians to ensure the “well-being of the people”.
“Of course, the ‘will of the people’ can’t be ignored, but Parliament has a duty also to consider the “wellbeing of the people,” he proclaimed.
“No-one voted for higher prices and poorer public services, but that is what they may get.”
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Controversially, Major also expressed skepticism whether Brexit was in fact the decision of the British voters, pointing out that the “will of the people… was supported…
Who is Putin’s best pal? European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans told the European Parliament that he thinks it’s Nigel Farage. Luckily, Farage quickly corrected him, telling the floor it’s actually Donald Trump.
“Do Polish people understand that Mr. Farage who speaks out in support of their government is someone who wants to break up the European Union?” Commissioner Frans Timmermans asked the European Parliament floor. “Do the Polish people understand that Mr. Farage’s best friend is Vladimir Putin?”
You could be forgiven for thinking this was mere schoolyard banter. But it’s not, and yes, this exchange actually happened. It was even caught on camera.
In response, Farage visibly scoffed at Timmermans’ comments. “That’s a load of rubbish,” he can be heard saying underneath Timmermans’ insistence. Farage then quickly added: “Donald Trump maybe.”
“In 2016, we had this amazing twin results of Brexit and the Trump victory,” Farage told Fox News. “Sadly, since that moment, relations between the UK and USA have not moved on in the way that they should.”
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“I want to say to the audience at CPAC: Please don’t judge my country by the London Mayor Sadiq Khan, by Mr. Corbyn and the left, who every time we’re told the president will visit the UK promise mass street protests. In the UK, too, people are beginning to get the Trump message.”
In February, Farage opened up about his own ties to Russia, or as he described it, his ‘liver-damaging links’ to the Kremlin.
“I’ve never been to Russia. I’ve never been to Moscow,” Farage said. “I’ve never met a Russian operative or agent. I’ve never done business in Russia. I’ve never taken money from Russia.” The former UKIP leader did concede to CPAC that he “may be guilty of drinking the odd Russian vodka.”
So there you have it. Case closed. Farage and Trump are officially besties. Watch this space, we’re sure to see matching friendship charms any day now.
The US will impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports next week, President Donald Trump has announced.
“We’re gonna build our steel industry back. We’re gonna build our aluminum industry back,” Trump said in a White House listening session with industry executives on Thursday. He cited the success of the recently imposed tariffs on solar panels and washing machines.
“I don’t blame other countries” for taking advantage of bad trade deals made by the US, Trump said.
Hundreds of US activists have rallied in San Francisco, California, to protest against recent arrests of undocumented immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
During Wednesday’s rally, about 200 protesters chanted “Shut ICE down” and held banners reading “Stop ICE raids”.
The demonstration came after the US immigration agency announced the arrest of more than 150 undocumented immigrants in recent days in California.
Demonstrators argued that the community of immigrants is living in a state of fear following the three-day raids.
They said the anti-immigration policy of US President Donald Trump is aimed at ripping up families across the state.
According to California officials, as many as 800 people were expected to be detained by the federal immigration office.
The arrests came days after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued a rare public warning that immigration raids were likely. ICE Director Thomas Homan on…
Yemen’s longtime ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh has been killed by his former allies, the Houthi rebels. Sheila Carapico of University of Richmond says the devastating Yemen war could now…
John Bolton defends preventive war against North Korea, but he won’t call it by that name:
Pre-emption opponents argue that action is not justified because Pyongyang does not constitute an “imminent threat.” They are wrong. The threat is imminent, and the case against preemption rests on the misinterpretation of a standard that derives from prenuclear, pre-ballistic-missile times.
The concepts of preemption and imminent threat have been so thoroughly warped by the Iraq war debate that their proper meanings have been all but lost. Preemption means striking before an impending attack occurs, but there is no such attack being prepared by North Korea. If the U.S. strikes North Korea first under these circumstances, our government would be committing an act of aggression pure and simple. There would be no preemption, because there would be no attack to preempt.
Bolton declares that the threat from North Korea is imminent, but this requires us to redefine imminent to mean something entirely different from what it has always meant. Imminent means something that is about to happen, and that does not describe the threat from North Korea. North Korea is not about to attack the US or its allies. It is not about to do it next month or next year. It is not about to do it at all. It has been deterred from doing so for decades, and continues to be deterred. In order to believe that there is an imminent threat from North Korea, namely one that is going to happen in the very near future, one also has to believe that its government is bent on self-destruction. Bolton writes about North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles as if their mere existence justifies a US attack, but that is simply nonsense.
Supporters of preventive war cannot honestly defend their position, because the war they favor is illegal and unjust, and so they rename it preemption and hope that no one knows the difference. The frequent confusion of preemption and preventive warfare in mainstream media reporting helps to ensure that very few are aware of the rhetorical trick being played on them. Advocates of preventive war are proposing that the US engage in a war of aggression in violation of international law, but in order to sell the war they need people to believe that the war would be defensive in nature. That is why they keep hiding behind the label of preemption
Josh Rogin accurately described Bolton’s position in his report from earlier this week and reminds us why we should care what the mustachioed militarist has to say:
John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations, whom Trump reportedly is considering to replace H.R. McMaster as national security adviser, supports preventive war through a massive strike [bold mine-DL], if sanctions fail.
There should be no doubt that Bolton is calling for starting a preventive war, and we should not be fooled by his attempts to confuse the issue by abusing the English language….
Sometime before the end of June this year the Supreme Court will deal a deathblow to public sector unions, declaring that the mandatory collection of dues violates the First Amendment. When that happens, it will be the latest example of yet another loss to progressive politics that can be attributed to Barack Obama.
It’s time that the left in America admit that Barack Obama was a horrible president when it came to progressive politics. He was simply yet another neo-liberal Democrat who sided with corporate America, ignoring the plight of working class America.
Obama’s political and policy mistakes are more magnified over time. Granted he did not have a 60 vote filibuster-proof Senate until July 2009 when Al Franken was seated. But he took office with broad popular support and Democratic control of Congress during a crisis, and could have claimed a mandate and moved a progressive agenda. He failed to do so. Yes, he faced a horrible economy but his plans for saving the banks largely helped them and did little for homeowners. In fact, his Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner largely admitted the goal was to make it more orderly for banks to process foreclosures than to save homeowners. The Troubled Assets Relief Program or TARP, started under Bush, largely stayed the same under Obama. Bailouts of major businesses such as GM might have saved them, but neither the jobs nor the wages for workers rebounded or…
So President Donald Trump now pontificates that he would run into a school building to save students during a mass shooting attack even if he was “unarmed!”
This empty boast is from the same Trump who failed the bravery test during the Vietnam War by dodging the draft — not for principle but because the poor guy had “bone spurs” on one foot (he can’t remember which).
Yes, that braggadocio is on top of other asinine blather from the Oval Office occupant. Trump, for example, made that boast while taking another shot at the police who failed to rush into that south Florida high school during the Valentine’s Day 2018 massacre that left 17 dead including 14 students.
The unwillingness of armed cops outside that Parkland high school to rush inside to confront an assault rifle firing shooter didn’t stop pseudo Tough Guy Trump from pushing the asinine proposal to arm teachers to help stop mass school shootings.
The Trump who wants to pay teachers to carry guns in schools is the same Trump who wants to slash billions of dollars in federal funding for education.
Arming teachers is a big pay day for gunmakers. It doesn’t make America great or safe.
Since Trump never lets facts stand in the way of his fantasies, he doesn’t care that a study conducted by his hometown police force – – the New York City Police Department –- found police only had an 18 percent success rate in hitting a person they were shooting…
The Pentagon will allocate $40 million into an inter-agency unit housed at the State Department to counter online propaganda and disinformation campaigns conducted by foreign nations, in an effort to respond “aggressively” to attacks.
The program was announced by the State Department this week in conjunction with the US Department of Defense, which will allocate the funds to the Global Engagement Center (GEC) – created in spring 2016 to replace the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC).
The @StateDept is pleased to announce a new partnership with the @DeptofDefense for initiatives to counter propaganda & disinformation from foreign nations. @UnderSecPD said the transfer of funds announced today reiterates the U.S. commitment to the fight. https://t.co/oT1ffDZU7R
“One of those initiatives is the creation of an Information Access Fund to support public and private partners working to expose and counter propaganda and disinformation from foreign nations.“
This funding is critical to ensuring that we continue an aggressive response to malign influence and disinformation and that we can leverage deeper partnerships with our allies, Silicon Valley, and other partners in this fight, said Under Secretary Goldstein. It is not merely a defensive posture that we should take, we also need to be on the offensive.
Last year Secretary of State Rex Tillerson requested that $40 million be transferred from the Department of Defense, with an overall allocation of up to $60 million from the US Defense budget. The funding was authorized in a December 2016 defense bill signed by President Obama – which widened the scope of the center’s activities.
Previously, the GEC had focused exclusively on terrorist propaganda, however it was Tillerson’s request for the funds that got the ball…
Imagine that Jose moves to the United States from El Salvador. He comes here legally — he applied for the diversity visa lottery and he won! Then he quickly gathered together the required papers to prove to the U.S. that he was who he said he was, and he wasn’t a criminal, and he moved to New York.
Once Jose’s here, he brings his kids, his wife, and his parents. In the next two decades, his parents bring their other children, who bring their families, and so on.
In all, 40 members of their family resettle in the U.S. over a 20-year period. They do this by applying for and obtaining family reunification visas.
What is the net effect of Jose bringing his entire family on overall U.S. immigration?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The U.S. has quotas for the number of immigrants who may come here legally in any given year. There are a few different types of visas, each with their own quotas.
Furthermore, there is a limit to how many people can come here from any one country, which primarily limits immigration from the countries with the most people coming here (like Mexico).
Kat Grigg / Flickr
No matter how many relatives Jose wants to bring with him from his country, they still have to apply for visas — and there is a quota on how many visas will be given out.
You might have heard the term “chain migration.” It is a made-up, disparaging term for immigration for family reunification. It implies that allowing one single immigrant into the U.S. will unleash a flood of other family members all coming over the U.S. border.
It can’t. Not legally. Because we have quotas.
My family came here on a family reunification visa about a century ago. My great-great grandfather came here first. He then sent for his wife and kids, including my great grandmother.
They probably came here in the steerage. They were poor Eastern European Jews. My grandfather says they were from Austria. I’m sure they spoke no English.
I don’t know how that generation fared economically at first. The story my family tells is that my great grandmother was nuts. My grandfather once said to me, “It makes sense my mother is from the same country as Hitler!”
By the time she died, although she was an unpleasant person to her near-relations, she was also quite well off.
I know what happened later, though. My grandfather served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II and then owned a small business. His children all went to college. My mother has a master’s degree, as do I.
Many families have stories like this. Maybe the first person in the family to immigrate here is poor and uneducated, but they work hard, and future generations are better educated, speak English, and become better off.
There’s a good argument for allowing families to reunite in the United States. Families support one another. A single person who comes here alone will have no support system.
Furthermore, I imagine a lot of the same people who are yelling that we should limit family reunification immigration are also the people who call themselves “pro-family values.”
What kind of family values is it to force families to split up?
An ex-soldier has been jailed for life after he brutally slashed a total stranger, and abandoned his body in nearby heathland. The attack was so violent that police initially thought the victim had been mauled by an animal.
When handing down the life sentence to Alexander Palmer, Justice Goose QC described the 24-year old’s premeditated attack as inflicting “savage and brutal” violence on 83-year-old grandfather Peter Wrighton. Palmer will serve a minimum of 28 years.
The sentencing, held at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, brings a conclusion to an eight-day trial. It took a jury of four men and eight women only 44 minutes to find Palmer guilty of the brutal murder of the elderly dogwalker. The court heard that Palmer suffered mental health problems after being attacked by fellow soldiers on a night out in Plymouth in 2013.
Wrighton’s body was discovered on August 5, 2017 in a remote area of heathland in East Harling, with his dogs Gemma and Dylan found nearby. Police initially thought that the 83-year old had been killed by an animal due to the frenzied nature of his stab wounds, but soon changed their theory following a postmortem.
No connection has ever been made between the murderer and his victim. It was thanks to an anonymous tip-off that there was a significant breakthrough in the case. The caller told police that, while receiving mental health treatment, Palmer had talked of voices telling him to harm people – particularly dog walkers.
Detective Superintendent Marina Ericson, who was the senior investigating officer in the murder enquiry, said she was glad that Palmer can no longer be a risk to public safety. “I believe Palmer to be callous and extremely calculated in his approach to Peter’s death,” Ericson said.
“It was a premeditated and predatory killing. Palmer took the opportunity of Peter walking alone with no one else around to launch an attack on an elderly, frail man knowing he would be unable to defend himself.
“What has become clear throughout this trial is that Palmer is an extremely dangerous man, who planned this brutal attack and went to East Harling… with one intention only and that was to murder someone.
“He will now serve a considerable amount of time in prison where he can longer be a threat to the public. While Peter’s family has seen justice, nothing can make up for the pain and anguish he has caused and I can only hope that today’s sentence allows them to fully grieve and process their loss.”
Shortly after the verdict, police released a selfie taken by Palmer shortly after Wrighton’s brutal murder. Another person’s face is obscured in the image. A statement from one of Wrighton’s children expressed the family’s thanks to Norfolk police, their grief, and also their outrage.
“On August 5 last year, a beautiful Saturday morning, my dad was viciously attacked and killed whilst walking his dogs. He quite simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” the family’s statement read.
“The shock of it has been compounded by the fact he was such a lovely, gentle man who people always warmed to. The most unlikely person to have something like that happen. We have all been struggling to come to terms with losing him in such a way and our mum, his wife of 59 years, has been left bereft and lonely.
“The revelations of the evidence relating to the mental health of Alexander Palmer have shocked, astounded and angered us. We feel that his mental health professionals failed both him and his family as well as ours. My mum, brother, myself and our children now not only feel grief, but anger as we believe this crime could have been prevented.”
Police confirmed that Palmer had received mental health support, both in the military and as a civilian. A review will now be held to review the circumstances that led to Peter Wrighton’s death.
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A pediatric cardiologist from Marietta, Georgia, has admitted illegally providing confidential patient data to US pharmaceutical company Aegerion. The information was to help the company mismarket a costly drug.
Dr. Eduardo Montana, 55, pleaded guilty in a Boston court hearing to disclosing 280 patients’ “individually identifiable health information” to Aegerion. Last September, the company was fined over $35 million to resolve criminal charges linked to the mismarketing of its drug Juxtapid. Montana will be sentenced on June 4 and faces up to a year in prison, Reuters reports.
Aegerion conspired to surreptitiously gather patient data in order to determine their suitability for the product. Juxtapid, which received FDA approval in 2012, is only suitable for use for patients with a rare lipid disorder. However, both defendants willingly targeted patients that did not suffer from the condition. After providing patient data, Montana requested a $236,000 grant from Aegerion, which the company declined.
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A memorandum and order statement from US Federal Judge William G. Young last November addressed the criminality behind Aegerion’s actions. It detailed the financial and medical ramifications of their risky profit-making misadventures to defraud customers.
“At market launch in January 2013, Juxtapid cost roughly $295,000 per patient per year. The annual cost of Juxtapid later increased to over $330,000 per patient per year,” Young stated.
“Aegerion engaged in a series of unfair and deceptive acts, including outright fraud, which pervaded corporate management, all designed to increase the use of Juxtapid in circumstances where such treatment was not medically indicated. Aegerion wrongfully received a great deal of money from this corporate criminal conduct. Still more important, it appears that Aegerion knowingly induced the prescription of Juxtapid to many patients for which it would do no good, thus crowding out more promising therapies,” he continued.
The company’s actions explicitly violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), commonly referred to as the Kassebaum-Kennedy Act, which outlines the standard code and conduct for the medical industry to follow regarding patient data and access to health care providers.
Aegerion is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and became a subsidiary company of Vancouver-based Novelion Therapeutics after a 2016 merger with QLT.
A recent Worldwide Threat Assessment issued by the U.S. intelligence community exaggerates threats posed by North Korea and Iran, ignoring well-known realities and downplaying the U.S.’s own previous intelligence assessments, notes Ted Snider.
By Ted Snider
On February 13, the American intelligence community issued its Worldwide Threat Assessment for 2018. It is a frightening document to read, but perhaps not for the reasons you would expect. It is not frightening for the threat to America or the world that it reveals, but rather for its failure to hear or see what U.S. adversaries say or do.
On North Korea, for example, the agencies that hear everything cannot seem to hear anything North Korea has said; on Iran, the agencies that see everything cannot seem to see what they have long known.
The Worldwide Threat Assessment is a regular ritual of the intelligence community in which it shares a declassified summary of threats to U.S. national security with Congress. The current assessment is published under the name of Daniel R. Coats, Director of National Intelligence. In theory, the assessment is the result of input from all of America’s sixteen intelligence agencies.
Worldwide Threat Assessments, according to Ray McGovern, are not as important as National Intelligence Estimates, but they are not unimportant. McGovern, a former CIA analyst who prepared and briefed the President’s Daily Brief for Nixon, Ford, and Reagan, explained to me that, though they are less important for shaping policy, they are no less important for shaping public perception.
When it comes to North Korea and Iran, Congress exaggerates the truth, and, according to McGovern, Worldwide Threat Assessments serves the interests of those who benefit from exaggerating the truth. When Congress misleads the public on North Korea and Iran, it can claim support from the intelligence community by referencing the Threat Assessment. Neocons and irresponsible journalists can all quote its exaggerated and unsupported claims.
North Korea
North Korea receives a scant three paragraphs. North Korea is identified as “a complex and increasing threat to U.S. national security and interests.”…
Media coverage following the school shooting at a Florida high school earlier this month appears to imply that these types of massacres are pervasive. As one New York Times headline put it, “A ‘Mass Shooting Generation’ Cries Out for Change.”
“This is life for the children of the mass shooting generation,” the Times wrote. “They were born into a world reshaped by the 1999 attack at Columbine High School in Colorado that killed 13 people, and grew up practicing active shooter drills and huddling through lockdowns. They talked about threats and safety steps with their parents and teachers. With friends, they wondered whether it could happen at their own school, and who might do it.”
But according to a recent report from News@Northeastern University, which spoke with James Alan Fox, a Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy at Northeastern, and doctoral student Emma Fridel, the perception that school shootings are simply a part of daily American life is misleading (take, for example, the widely-shared statistic that there had already been 18 school shootings in 2018, a figure that was then just as widely debunked).
Fox is a leading American criminologist who often works as a contributor for news outlets and offers pointed criticism of heavy-handed policies like immigration crackdown, cannabis prohibition, and private prisons.
Fox and Fridel’s research, which will be published later this year, found that “on average, mass murders occur between 20 and 30 times per year, and about one of those incidents on average takes place at a school,” Northeastern reported. (Mass murder is defined as four or more individuals killed in a 24-hour period, excluding the shooter.)
The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering a full-scale oil embargo against Venezuela in order to mount more pressure on the country’s President Nicolas Maduro.
The administration is reviewing a plan to sanction a Venezuelan military-run oil services company and restricting insurance coverage for Venezuelan oil shipments, a US official said on Wednesday.
The possible new sanctions would target Venezuela’s vital oil sector beyond what has been done before, including an eventual full-scale ban on Venezuelan oil shipments to the United States, the US official told Reuters.
“I think (it would cause) a fairly strong shock to the oil market in the short term,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Oil sanctions are not taken lightly,” the official said. “This would be a fairly strong escalation for US policy, whether it’s a complete oil sanction or salami slices of different graduated…
Xi Jinping’s power grab: Bonapartism with Chinese characteristics
1 March 2018
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime has made a sharp break from the norms of the past three decades by moving to end the two-term limit for the post of president. As a result, Xi Jinping, who has consolidated his control over the military and state apparatus and purged key political rivals over the past five years, will be able remain in office indefinitely.
Xi’s emergence as China’s political strongman is not a function of his personal characteristics, but rather is a reflection above all of the extreme social tensions wracking the country. Confronting a deteriorating economy and the prospect of social upheaval, the Chinese bureaucracy is desperately seeking to consolidate its forces around the figure of Xi—a form of rule that Marxists have classically designated as Bonapartist.
Writing on the acute political crisis in Germany in 1932, Leon Trotsky explained the essential characteristics of Bonapartism: “As soon as the struggle of two social strata—the haves and the have-nots, the exploiters and the exploited—reaches its highest tension, the conditions are established for the domination of bureaucracy, police, soldiery. The government becomes ‘independent’ of society. Let us once more recall: if two forks are stuck symmetrically into a cork, the latter can stand even on the head of a pin. That is precisely the schema of Bonapartism.” [Germany: The Only Road]
After three decades of capitalist restoration, the CCP has transformed China into one of the most unequal countries in the world. At one pole of society, over 300 dollar billionaires—more than any country other than the United States—rake in enormous profits and live extravagant lifestyles. At the other, hundreds of…
Paul Joseph Watson PrisonPlanet.com February 28, 2018
In a bizarre tweet, John Podesta warned Trump advisor Jared Kushner that he “better start wearing his kevlar on his back”.
“Seems like those “unnamed sources peddling second-hand hearsay with rank speculation that continue to leak inaccurate information,” came straight from 1600 Penn,” said Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman. “Jared better start wearing his kevlar on his back.”
Seems like those “unnamed sources peddling second-hand hearsay with rank speculation that continue to leak inaccurate information,” came straight from 1600 Penn. Jared better start wearing his kevlar on his back. https://t.co/Aps6BEkJDd
The tweet was in response to a Washington Post story which reveals how, “Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner.”
Kushner also just had his security clearance downgraded as part of the White House’s response to the Rob Porter scandal.
“Given the current climate of political violence, murder and mass shootings, some online are taking Podesta’s comment as something sinister in the wake of repeated violent attacks on Trump supporters, the unsolved murder of DNC worker Seth Rich, the mass shooting attack on GOP congressmen and the recent mass shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida,” reports Gateway Pundit.
How would the media react if a Republican had told a top Democrat they need to start wearing a bullet proof vest?
In an unusual move, Ex-PM John Major has spoken out against incumbent Theresa May, suggesting MPs could force a second Brexit referendum or outright reject any final deal. Brexiteers were quick to accuse the ex-PM of “hypocrisy.”
The former prime minister, noted for his humble Brixton origins, called for MPs to have a “decisive” vote on any final deal negotiated with the EU. According to Major, “Parliament can accept or reject the final outcome; or send the negotiators back to seek improvements; or order a referendum.”
Brexiteers led by Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg attacked Major’s speech, with the MP saying it is “riddled with errors.”
Rees-Mogg told the BBC: “We had a democratic vote, the decision was being taken [sic] and what he’s trying to do is overturn that. That’s the whole point of what he’s saying. His speech is riddled with errors; he’s saying things that are tendentious, bordering on the not-factually accurate.”
The Old Etonian went on: “He’s saying ‘the deep division in our nation are more likely to be healed by Brexit freely approved by Parliament than Brexit forced through Parliament on the behest [sic] of a minority of convinced opponents of Europe. He’s calling 17.4 million people a ‘minority of convinced opponents.’ 17.4 million is a very important number.”
Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash accused Major of being “hypocritical” in talking about holding a referendum now, while not having done so when he ratified the Maastricht Treaty in the early 1990s. Cash told talkRadio that if Major “wasn’t prepared” to call a referendum then, “it’s hypocritical now to say there should be a referendum on this.”
Break: Sir John Major calls on Theresa May to give all MPs and ministers a free vote in the Commons on her final Brexit deal. From a former Tory PM, that’s a huge challenge to her authority. pic.twitter.com/si8jtfyZ3G
Disastrous John Major openly calling for views of 17.4 million people to be ignored. He has no legitimacy. If politicians ignore referendum they will have none either
If John Major had allowed a free vote on Maastricht, the treaty wouldn’t have passed, Britain would have secured some kind of associate status, and we’d all have saved ourselves a great deal of trouble.
New research has cast doubt on the claim US diplomats in Havana were the victims of a sonic weapon attacks. Some 21 embassy staff in Cuba were affected by a mystery illness in August last year.
Diplomatic staff were reportedly the victims of targeted attacks on their homes and hotel rooms in the Cuban capital. Those taken ill reportedly heard a loud, grinding noise before they were struck down with damage to their hearing, vision, balance and memory. Investigators were said to have suspected a “sonic attack.” Now, in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say that despite individuals suffering injuries to “widespread brain networks,” the cause remains unknown.
Among the key points, the study found that the symptoms may not have been from infrasound waves because “sound in the audible range is not known to cause persistent injury to the central nervous system and therefore the described sounds may have been associated with another form of exposure.”
While the research does not entirely rule out a viral or chemical source of the symptoms, the report says that both are unlikely as no preceding fever was identified in patients. A chemical attack was deemed especially unlikely. “It is unlikely a chemical agent could produce these neurological manifestations in the absence of other organ involvement, particularly given that some individuals developed symptoms within 24 hours of arriving in Havana,” the report reads.
As well as 21 US diplomats and families, three Canadian embassy staffers also got sick. According to a report from the Associated Press, medical testing revealed that the victims developed changes to white matter tracts of their brains, affecting the way in which different parts of the brain communicate with each other.
In September, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the incidents had caused the State Department to reevaluate the historic decision to reopen the US embassy in Cuba in 2015. “We have it under evaluation,” Tillerson said in a TV interview at the time. “It’s a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered. We’ve brought some of those people home. It’s under review.”
Two Cuban diplomats were expelled from the US following the incidents. Five Republican senators also penned a letter to Tillerson urging the US to close the embassy in Havana and to once again sever all diplomatic ties with Cuba. “Cuba’s neglect of its duty to protect our diplomats and their families cannot go unchallenged,” said the lawmakers, who were led by Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Cuban-American politician Marco Rubio (R-FL) also signed the letter.
EU President Donald Tusk said Thursday he was “absolutely sure” the bloc’s members would accept a draft treaty for Brexit that has stirred anger in London over its provisions for Northern Ireland.
“I am absolutely sure that all the essential elements of the draft will be accepted by all,” Tusk told business leaders in Brussels, saying EU states would review the text in the coming week.
British Prime Minister Theresa May angrily rejected the draft unveiled on Wednesday, saying she would never allow the bloc to undermine her country’s “constitutional integrity”.
She took particular aim at a proposal to keep British-ruled Northern Ireland in a customs union if there is no better solution to avoid a hard border with EU-member Ireland.
Tusk said if May didn’t like the proposal, she should come up with an alternative.
“Until now, no-one has come up with anything wiser than that (plan),” he said.
“In a few hours I will be asking in London whether…
A top Russian security official says the US has set up around 20 military bases in areas controlled by Kurdish militants it supports in northern Syria, adding that Washington “provoked” Turkey into launching an offensive in those regions by providing the Kurds with advanced weapons.
Alexander Venediktov, an official from Russia’s Security Council, said Thursday that the establishment of peace in war-torn Syria is impeded by external interferences, particularly American meddling, in the conflict, according to Russian media.
“The return of peace and stability to Syria is hampered by continued external interference in the Syrian crisis. For example, in the territory controlled by the people’s self-defense units of Kurdistan, some 20 US military bases have been created,” Venediktov said.
Venediktov also said that Washington provoked Ankara into launching a military offensive on Syria’s Afrin by “boosting” the Kurdish militants…
Russian-backed hackers gained access to web sites and voter registration systems of seven states just before the 2016 presidential election, it was reported on Tuesday.
The claims being made by officials in the US intelligence community were reported by NBC News.
According to three senior intelligence officials, American spy agencies gathered evidence in January 2017 which indicated that Russian-backed operatives compromised election systems in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin.
The officials say that these states were not told at the time that their databases were being targeted by Russia.
Despite the breach by Russian-backed hackers, the covert effort did not have any impact on the vote count, NBC News reported.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is stoking public fear over local efforts to decrease the use of money bail and reduce the jail population, arguing that these measures allow gun “offenders” to go free and therefore pose a threat to public safety. Despite the fact that Dart has presented zero evidence to substantiate his fearmongering, Chicago’s largest press outlets are dutifully reporting his claims as fact, inserting them into the public conversation following the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting that left 17 dead. Reporters are going well beyond stenography to pad the sheriff’s arguments, including dredging up sympathetic quotes from a dead police officer.
The stakes are not academic: Pretrial detention is a major driver of mass incarceration in the United States. Roughly two-thirds of local jail populations at any given time are incarcerated before trial or conviction, with those incarcerated in local jails accounting for roughly a quarter of the total population behind bars in the country. Just a few days in jail can cause people to lose their homes, jobs, custody of children and even lives. By demagoguing the movement against cash bail, the Chicago press is helping to build the case for condemning thousands to preemptive punishment before they face a jury, much less are found guilty.
Dart’s public relations blitz comes five months after a September 2017 order by Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans instructing all Cook County judges to stop setting money bail above amounts that people can afford to pay. The instruction followed litigation and years of local organizing to end money bail in a county that houses one of the largest jails in the United States. At the end of 2016, roughly 95 percent of the 8,000 people locked inside Cook County jail were incarcerated before facing trial or conviction—some languishing for years—the majority simply because they were too poor to pay bail. While the chief judge’s order has yet to completely end the practice of wealth-based incarceration, it has played a role in lowering the jail population to roughly 6,100—effectively restoring the presumption of innocence for some of the jail’s disproportionately black population.
Just eight days after the Parkland massacre, Dart wrote an open letter to the president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners that he circulated to media outlets, sounding the alarm that bail reform is allowing people with “gun charges and other violent offenses” to be released back to their communities, where they ostensibly pose a threat. His letter quickly garnered breathless articles in the Chicago Tribune (2/23/18) and Chicago Sun-Times (2/22/18)—the city’s two biggest papers—repeating the sheriff’s talking points about the supposed threat posed by gun defendants who are released or placed on electronic monitoring.
Dart’s claims rest on an internal study conducted by the Sheriff’s office, looking at just 261 defendants in 2016 and 322 in 2017, showing that after the chief judge’s order, more people accused of carrying (but not using) guns are being placed on electronic monitoring. Sun-Times reporter Frank Main summarized the findings:
Over a three-month period in late 2016, nearly all of the gun defendants who passed through the courthouse got a “D” bond, meaning they had to put up 10 percent of a cash amount to make sure they’d return to court. But half of the gun defendants in late 2017 were either released on electronic monitoring or on “I” bonds that don’t require them to put up any money, the sheriff’s study showed.
Yet Dart’s numbers contain no information about how these individuals impacted their communities once they returned. In fact, the general usefulness of this data is questionable, given that the number of cases evaluated is very low compared to the thousands of people about whom judges make bail decisions every month. To date, no government body or private institution has conducted a systematic review of the public safety impact of Chief Judge Evans’ order. Without a shred of evidence, Chicago’s major newspapers take for granted that people with gun charges pose a threat when they return home. As Trump fear-mongers over the armed, black menace in Chicago’s streets, residents charged with possessing guns make easy bogeymen for reporters.
In an alarming passage, Main wrote that Dart’s aides
said they suspect that gun defendants are committing new firearm offenses while on electronic monitoring and out on I bonds. But the aides say they don’t know the extent of the problem. That’s because few shooters in Chicago get caught. The Chicago Police Department made arrests in fewer than 5 percent of nonfatal shootings in 2016, records show.
In other words, Main is casually insinuating that individuals released as a result of bail reform are murdering people—while acknowledging that there’s no evidence that this is the case.
Remarkably, Main concluded his article with these baseless murder accusations, even after briefly acknowledging official court data from Chief Judge Evans’ office that raised serious questions about the suspicions of the sheriff’s office. According to Evans’ own evaluation of defendants with weapons-related charges between October 1, 2015, to March 31, 2017, “Out of 20,243 defendants released while their case was pending, 151 (0.7 percent) were charged with a new violent crime.” This conclusion was drawn from a much larger and more comprehensive data sample than Dart’s own, which was generated by the irregular courtwatching efforts of his own staff.
The Chicago Community Bond Fund (a group that I volunteer for) has over the past two years posted bail for 32 people with gun-related charges, and none of them have been re-arrested on weapons charges. Some of those individuals suffered staggering pretrial punishment for being accused of holding a gun, only to be found not guilty once their case went to trial. The Bond Fund documented the case of one young black man who was painted as a dangerous criminal merely because a police officer claimed that a bulge under his shirt concealed a gun. That young man was eventually found not guilty, but only after losing eight months of his life to incarceration in Cook County Jail and house arrest.
In 2016, according to data from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, just 42 percent of gun defendants tried by juries were convicted, as were only 30 percent who faced bench trials. Not only are arrestees supposed to be presumed innocent, a majority of those who go to trial actually are found to be innocent once the evidence is heard.
Yet that reality does not stop local press from depicting people accused of carrying a gun as monsters who are already guilty of some vague kind of violence. In a stunning passage, Chicago Tribune reporter Megan Crepeau (2/23/18) cynically concluded her piece about Dart’s latest findings by quoting Cmdr. Paul Bauer, a police officer recently shot and killed:
As commander of the Near North District, Bauer had recently spoken out about his frustration over the bond reform effort and the difficulty in keeping repeat offenders off the streets.
“We’re not talking about the guy who stole a loaf of bread from the store to feed his family,” Bauer said in November, according to the Loop North News. “We’re talking about career robbers, burglars, drug dealers. These are all crimes against the community. They need to be off the streets.”
This quote from a dead police officer who was not particularly qualified to comment on Cook County’s pretrial legal system is a naked attempt to manipulate emotions, coming not long after the city held a much-publicized funeral for Bauer. If the words of the deceased are to factor into this debate, it is not clear why Crepeau did not investigate the political positions of individuals who died as a result of incarceration. There is no shortage of surviving loved ones for reporters to reach out to: In 2017 alone, at least 22 people died in the custody of Cook County Jail.
This is not the first time Chicago press has stoked fear that freeing people from jail while they are awaiting trial threatens public safety. In 2017, Chicago Tribune reporters Todd Lighty, David Heinzmann and Jason Grotto (1/28/17) warned that gun “suspects” are getting out of jail faster:
Since 2012, the median amount of bond set by Cook County judges for people charged with felony gun crimes has doubled — from $25,000 to $50,000. But over the same time period, the average number of days a defendant spends in jail before posting bond for a gun charge has fallen by more than half, from 42 to 18 days, according to the Tribune analysis.
It’s peculiar enough that a major paper would implicitly treat people convicted of no crime spending less time behind bars as a bad thing. Beyond that, their analysis only looked at the cases of individuals who bailed out, meaning the reporters disregarded the vast majority of the Cook County jail population, who are incarcerated right up until their trial because they can’t afford to pay bail.
This accumulated media spin is important, because Dart is attempting to build public support for a bill that would increase judges’ power to incarcerate people pretrial—and not incidentally maintain his own budget, which is threatened by too large a drop in the jail population. While Dart has marketed himself as a “progressive” sheriff, and has even railed against the injustices of money bail, he appears to be capitalizing on public fear over mass shootings to expand the county’s powers to impose pretrial punishment. As Crepeau (2/23/18) wrote:
Dart said Thursday the dramatic increase has overwhelmed the office’s electronic monitoring program, leading him to take immediate steps to shore up those efforts: shifting staff, making unannounced searches of the homes of those being monitored, conducting a more thorough vetting process and, if necessary, declaring detainees too risky for the bracelets altogether.
The reporters don’t raise questions about the fact that Dart appears to be second-guessing, and even outright rejecting, orders made by judges to release people pretrial. (As this article went to press, attorneys announced that people currently held in Cook County Jail are filing a class-action lawsuit against the sheriff, charging that he is unlawfully detaining people who Cook County judges had ordered released pretrial.)
As the Chicago Community Bond Fund has documented, electronic monitoring and other forms of pretrial punishment violate the presumption of innocence and expand the harms of incarceration far beyond Cook County Jail’s walls. The organization has pointed to people becoming homeless, losing jobs and family support, and returning to jail as a result of restrictive pretrial conditions. Dart’s latest publicity push, aimed at expanding law enforcement’s powers to search private homes, visit job sites and further constrain movement, would only worsen these harms.
Ultimately, any media discussion of public safety must examine the dangers posed by pretrial incarceration and punishment. The disproportionately black and poor people who fill Cook County Jail, after all, are part of the public that officials purport to protect—and their safety and wellness also matter, regardless of what charges they face.
Hundreds of gun-toting parishioners descended upon a rural Pennsylvania church on Wednesday to have their marriages (and AR-15s) blessed. Some participants even sported crowns made of bullets.
In a bizarre ceremony contrived by the son of deceased cult leader Reverend Sun Myung Moon, women dressed in white and men in dark suits paraded around the Unification Church – whose members are known colloquially as ‘Moonies’ – in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, with their holy “rods of iron.” Worshipers were urged to unload their rifles before bringing them to be blessed.
The ritual comes just weeks after a teen armed with an AR-15 killed 17 students and school staff at a high school in Parkland, Florida. However, a spokesman for the church insisted that the marriage-and-assault-rifle blessing ceremony had been planned long before the February 14 mass shooting.
The UK’s National Grid says it needs to buy gas in order to meet the demand amid severe drops in temperature and gas supply outages due that have raised consumption levels to a five-year high.
The NG requested shippers on Thursday to post offers on the OCM locational market after wholesale gas prices soared 74 percent within a day.
Earlier, the company issued another warning after forecast for the day initially showed a shortfall of 49.5 million cubic meters below the country’s projected need of 395.7mcm per day.
According to the Guardian, the deficit had been narrowed down to 35.2mcm.
“We are in communication with industry partners and are closely monitoring the situation,” the NG said.
Widespread snow and unprecedentedly cold temperatures following the arrival of the “Beast from the East” polar vortex and Storm Emma have forced people across the UK to fire up their heating.
The situation has been further affected by several…
Saudi Arabia’s bid to expand its nuclear program with the help of the United States is aimed at undermining the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, says an analyst.
Dr. Kevin Barrett, an author based in Wisconsin,made the remarks while discussing the planned resumption of US-Saudi talks on a lucrative deal for the construction of nuclear reactors in the kingdom.
The talks were frozen under the former US administration after the Saudis refused to accept Washington’s non-proliferation “gold standard” for civil nuclear cooperation deals.
The standard prohibits the recipient of the technology from enriching uranium and reprocessing plutonium, which could be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons.
Under President Donald Trump, however, the two sides have resumed discussing nuclear cooperation, despite Riyadh’s continued insistence on bypassing that standard.
Barrett said Riyadh was intentionally asking the US for…
After the massacre of kindergarteners at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, the gun lobby offered its usual blame-the-victims, good-guy-with-a-gun excuse: If only the teachers had been armed!
This time, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, someone did have a gun — but the armed school resource deputy chose to hunker down outside while the mass murderer finished his work, rather than entering to confront the killer.
The now former deputy hasn’t explained his failure to act. Perhaps his inaction was simply cowardice.
But this good guy with a gun might well have decided, after he heard the spray of semi-automatic weapon fire, that his handgun wasn’t going to be enough to stop a killer with a high-power assault rifle.
Maybe he thought entering that building would be brave but suicidal.
How admirable it would have been for the deputy to lay down his life for those children. But expecting people to give their lives isn’t really a plan for stopping school shootings. Telling school guards, teachers, and coaches they should be ready to engage in shoot-outs with heavily-armed killers doesn’t fix the problem.
High school students hold a vigil for the victims of the Parkland, Florida school shooting. (Fabrice Florin / Flickr)
The proposal that armed citizens are the answer to armed killers is out of touch with reality. The suggestion that professional guards can do much better is equally unrealistic. Most school guards likely feel they didn’t sign up for urban warfare against military hardware.
There are about 130,000 elementary, middle, and high schools in America. If every single one of them had an armed guard ready to give up his or her life, armed with their own assault rifle, the next mass killer would begin by abruptly pulling out his handgun and shooting the guard.
Does anyone really imagine that all day, every day, every guard in every school will have his or her gun at the ready?
Perhaps one regular armed guard isn’t enough, then. How about a platoon of U.S. Marines at each entrance to every school? And shouldn’t they have their guns drawn at all times, trained on the entering students, safeties off?
Would this make our children feel safe?
I know I’m not the only one to think there’s something wrong with this picture. Most of us understand full well that more people with guns — or engaging in an arms race with deranged killers — isn’t the answer.
The answer is obvious: There is no good reason for civilians to own AR-15s or other assault weapons. Such weapons of war should be outlawed.
Most Americans appear to agree that stronger gun control is the answer. But that hasn’t been enough to cause our government to act. Why? It’s not enough to say that the NRA and its fanatical supporters are too strong.
The real problem isn’t just those who regard guns as sacred. The problem is ordinary citizens who don’t want assault weapons on the streets or in our schools but don’t treat this as a “do-or-die” issue — which it literally is.
While many people care, they need to care more. Maybe the activism of the survivors in Florida can change this.
If you’re appalled when school children are gunned down, but not appalled enough to hold the people who enable that accountable, you’re part of the problem.
You may recall the international spectacle Alan Greenspan sparked in 1996.
In an otherwise dull and forgettable speech, Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman at the time, said the now famous phrase “irrational exuberance.”
Investors thought Greenspan meant the Fed was about to raise interest rates.
Of course, Greenspan didn’t say the Fed would raise rates. Nor did he intend to signal that.
Nonetheless, investors quickly panicked.
US markets were closed at the time, but stocks in Japan and Hong Kong dropped 3%. The German stock market fell 4%. When trading started in the US the next day, the market opened down 2%.
Billions of dollars of wealth vanished in 16 hours… all because one man said two words.
That’s an absurd amount of power for one person to have.
It’s also a shameful testament about the economy. It’s based more on the Fed’s shenanigans than actual production.
After the US president, the Fed chair is the most powerful person on the planet.
By simply saying the right words, the Fed can create or destroy trillions of dollars of wealth in both the US and abroad.
We’re in Uncharted Territory
Throughout the 1920s, the Federal Reserve’s easy money policies helped create an enormous stock market bubble.
In August 1929, the Fed raised interest rates and effectively ended the easy credit.
Only a few months later, the bubble burst on Black Tuesday. The Dow lost over 12% that day. It was the most devastating stock market crash in the US up to that point. It also signaled the beginning of the Great Depression.
Fast forward to today…
The economy has been on life support since the 2008 financial crisis. The Fed has pumped it up with unprecedented amounts of “stimulus.” This has created enormous distortions and…
At least 11 people have fallen ill at a military base in the US state of Virginia after opening a suspicious letter, officials say.
The letter arrived at the base at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington earlier this and was opened in one of the administrative buildings, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.
Specialist Nicholas Hodges told CNN that three of those affected by the letter exhibited symptoms of a burning sensation on their hands and face and were taken to hospital for further investigations.
Another person suffered bleeding from his nose.
Apparently, the letter had passed all security checks and was assumed to be safe. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken the envelope to its lab in Quantico for analysis.
Authorities at the base ordered the entire building to be evacuated so that HAZMAT teams could determine and clear the contamination.
“Personnel in the affected building took immediate…
As Black History Month wraps up, we look at the record-breaking movie Black Panther. Since the release of Black Panther earlier this month, fans have crowdfunded campaigns to ensure children can see the film in theaters, teachers have incorporated the movie’s core themes of anti-colonialism and cultural representation into their curriculum, and activists have used film screenings to hold mass voter registration drives. The movie has also renewed calls for the release of more than a dozen imprisoned members of the real Black Panther Party. Black Panther has also ignited a firestorm of impassioned social commentary online among fans and detractors alike. We speak to historian Robyn C. Spencer, who wrote a piece, “Black Feminist Meditations on the Women of Wakanda,” and Carvell Wallace, whose piece, “Why Black Panther Is a Defining Moment for Black America,” appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. As Black History Month wraps up, we turn now to a film that is making history as we speak. That’s right, we spend the rest of the hour looking at the record-breaking blockbuster film Black Panther. The movie has captivated global audiences, has raked in more than $750 million, just in the first two weeks of the release. Black Panther had the highest — fifth-highest-earning opening weekend of any film in U.S. history and has already become the single highest-grossing film ever by a black director, 31-year-old Ryan Coogler. It’s also the biggest February film debut of all time. The superhero flick, based on the Marvel comic, features a majority-black cast, has been called a “defining moment for Black America.” This is part of the trailer for Black Panther.
EVERETT K. ROSS: [played by Martin Freeman] I have seen gods fly. I’ve seen men build weapons that I couldn’t even imagine. I’ve seen aliens drop from the sky. But I have never seen anything like this. How much more…
On February 14th, 17 people were killed and more than 15 injured at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. It is considered the nation’s biggest school shooting, but far from the only one.
Since January 1, 2018, 17 additional shootings have taken place in or around a U.S. school. They’ve taken place in Nashville, TN (Feb. 9), New York, NY (Feb. 8), Oxon Hill, MD (Feb 5), Maplewood, MN (Feb. 5), Los Angeles, CA (Feb 1), Philadelphia, PA (Jan. 31), Dearborn, MI (Jan. 26), Mobile, AL (Jan. 25), Benton, KY (Jan. 23), Italy, TX (Jan. 22), Gentilly, LA (Jan. 22), Winston Salem, NC (Jan. 20), Marshall, TX (Jan. 15), San Bernardino, CA (Jan. 10), Denison, TX (Jan. 10), Sierra Vista, AZ (Jan. 10) and Seattle, WA (Jan. 4).
More disturbing, since the Columbine High School, in Columbine, CO, massacre in 1999 (where 13 people were killed and 24 wounded), there have been 10 school shootings in which four or more people were killed, including the death or suicide of the perpetrators, and these mass shootings have resulted in 122 fatalities. However, the New York Times reports that since the 2012 Sandy Hook school in Newtown, CT, where 26 people (20 students and six adults) were killed, at least 239 school shootings have taken place nationwide and 438 people were shot.
Adding to this picture, the Gun Violence Archive reports that 429 teenagers and 86 younger children have been killed in shooting in…
They came, mostly young people, to fight for justice. They came to support the rule of international law, to help solve a longstanding injustice through non-violent means; they came to tell an oppressed people you have not been forgotten; they came to do what is right for a left wing political party; they came to speak truth to power.
And how did the left wing party respond? By using the “machine” — orders from on high, backroom arm-twisting, opaque block voting and procedural manoeuvring — to prevent debate. Silence in class!
While NDP insiders probably feel they dodged the “Palestine Resolution” bullet at their recent convention, many party apparatchiks may come to regret their undemocratic moves. Their naked suppression of debate might stir rage against the machine they’ve proved to be. At a minimum it has provoked many to ask why.
Why, when the Palestine Resolution was endorsed unanimously by the NDP youth convention and by over 25 riding associations, did the powers that be not want it even discussed?
Given the resolution mostly restated official Canadian policy, except that it called for “banning settlement products from Canadian markets, and using other forms of diplomatic and economic pressure to end the occupation” one can only assume that the party machine either supports the indefinite Israeli occupation of Palestinian land or has some sort of problem with boycotts and economic sanctions. Clearly the NDP is not against boycotts and…
A wave of electrical activity in our brains called ‘spreading depression’ appears to mark the final moment before death, researchers have found.
Experts examining brain activity in dying patients observed a flurry of activity that appears to precede the fatal shutdown of our most vital organ.
The finding suggests that consciousness may still be present for many minutes after the rest of the body has stopped showing signs of life.
A team of neurologists, including from the Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, continuously monitored electrical signals in the brains of of nine people as they died.
Each of the patients – from Berlin, Germany, and Cincinnati, Ohio – had received fatal brain injuries and had ‘do not resuscitate’ orders.
Experts hoped that, by implanting electrodes in the brains of their test subjects, they could uncover the mechanisms and timing of events during the process of dying.
They found that even five minutes after a person’s heart stops beating their brain cells, or neurons, may still function.
A Grenfell Tower blaze survivor faces jail after a cannabis oil factory was found in the wreckage of the 24-storey building. Eamon Zada, 35, had produced enough cannabis oil to last one user 140 days.
Zada was arrested after cannabis production supplies were found among the debris of the cladded north Kensington tower block three weeks after it was ravaged by fire on June 14. The inferno killed 71 people, including an unborn child, and left hundreds homeless.
Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday heard that a store of cannabis cuttings, butane gas canisters and an oven were found in the 35-year-old’s flat. Zada pleaded guilty to one count of being concerned in supplying cannabis on or before July 4.
Read more
Before the hearing Zada’s lawyers had asked for him to be granted anonymity amid fears his case would be linked to the blaze. Zada is understood to be a core participant in the Grenfell inquiry, and the court heard meetings have previously been stormed by angry protesters.
Judge Tan Ikram nonetheless refused the application to withhold Zada’s identity, saying: “Much may be said during the inquiry and at meetings but that’s not enough for this court to resile from the principle of open justice.”
Zada told officers that he used five to six grams of oil per day, and thereafter refused to make any comment. Zada awaits sentencing on March 6.
Prosecutor Maxine Channer-McDaniel told the court: “On July 4 2017 fire fighters entered Grenfell Tower, a number of items were found at a flat believed to be used in the production of cannabis – lights that related to the growing of cannabis and various other items. A number of butane gas canisters meant a more thorough search was conducted on July 6 during which a number of items were seized from the property.”
She said the cannabis had been stored in the second bedroom, while an oven had been found in the living room and the gas canisters were stored in the kitchen. The prosecutor continued: “The amount of cannabis is described as cannabis trim – of that there was 14 kilos, as well as 700 grams of oil.
“When he was interviewed Mr Zada said he was a regular user of cannabis since the age of 12 and that normal cannabis flower had limited effect. He said he had not purchased the trim because it was of no commercial value and had used it to extract the oil.”
YouTube has said its removals of right-wing video channels were a mistake, something conservative users are finding hard to believe. YouTube blamed the blunder on the inexperience of its newly hired force of moderators.
“As we work to hire rapidly and ramp up our policy enforcement teams throughout 2018, newer members may misapply some of our policies resulting in mistaken removals,” a YouTube spokesperson told Bloomberg. “We’re continuing to enforce our existing policies regarding harmful and dangerous content, they have not changed. We’ll reinstate any videos that were removed in error.”
However, many did not see it this way. Several outspoken conservative personalities voiced their disdain for the snafu, accusing YouTube of bias in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school shooting.
YouTube’s New Moderators “Mistakenly” Pull Right-Wing Channels
The actions are in line with a Dec. 4 public statement from Google CEO Susan Wojcicki. The statement pledges the commission of a 10,000-strong team of moderators to crack down on rising occurrences of hate speech.
Wojcicki brought in the staffers after complaints arose from users that content unsuitable for children was sneaking past the company’s kids filter. Additional problems cropped up after victims of mass shootings became the targets of online abuse, in addition to conspiracy theories. She plans to bring “the total number of people across Google working to address content that might violate our policies to over 10,000 in 2018,” it continued.
Conservative educational website PragerU filed a February 23 lawsuit against Google and YouTube after some of its content was blocked. PragerU accused the video platform of using the moderation system as a “political gag” to silence the “views of leading conservative speakers and scholars.”
“This is speech discrimination plain and simple: censorship based entirely on the perceived identity and political viewpoint of the speaker not on the content of the speech,” the lawsuit stated. A petition was also launched demanding YouTube stops blocking conservative videos.
Earlier in February right-wing and conservative users raised the alarm after a surprise Twitter “bot purge” left many of them thousands of followers short. Others said they were forced to provide and verify a telephone number to log back in. Using the hashtag #TwitterLockOut, activists accused the social network of anti-conservative bias.
Liberal commenters in the hashtagged thread implied the multitude of lost followers had all been “Russian bots.” Twitter, releasing a statement in the aftermath, said it solely aimed to keep the platform “safe and free from spam.”
Most American voters think President Donald Trump is a racist person and life conditions for minorities have taken a turn for the worse under his presidency, a new poll has found.
The survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was released on Thursday, found that 57 percent of Americans – including more than 8 in 10 blacks, three-quarters of Hispanics and nearly half of whites— thought Trump was racially-biased.
Of all respondents, 57 percent thought Trump’s policies have been bad for Muslims while 56 percent said the same for Hispanics.
For African Americans the figure dropped to 47 percent, including three-quarter of blacks.
The poll also found that over 9 in 10 African Americans disapproved of the way Trump has been handling presidency and 9 in 10 thought he was leading the country in the wrong direction.
In contrast, 45 percent of white participants approve of Trump’s work, while 35 percent of…
“The Negro traveler’s inconveniences are many,” Wendell Alston discreetly noted in The Negro Motorist Green Book, a bible of survival for blacks warily navigating segregated America in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. “Carry your Green Book with you – you may need it.” In 1936, Harlem postal worker Victor Green published the first volume of the series as a 15-page guide to New York; it soon expanded to a vital 100-page national resource for black families seeking safety and dignity in an often hostile landscape. At a time when they had to pack food, painstakingly plan bathroom breaks and gas purchases, find rare lodging that would accept them and stay clear at all times of “sundown towns,” Green helped them do it. He described his book in tactful terms: It was meant to “make traveling better for the Negro.” The reality was more chilling: It was meant to help keep them alive.
Seeking to highlight that brutal chapter of history, Nat Gertler of California’s About Comics previously re-published facsimiles of the 1940, 1954, 1963 Green Books, and recently released the 1947 edition. He has sold about 10,000 copies, largely through online sales and in African-American and other museum gift shops. The listings – Atlanta’s five hotels that accepted black guests, Cheyenne, Wyo.’s one, D.C.’s 7 hotels (including YMCA/YWCA), 4 “tourist homes” or private residences, 3 taverns, 2 restaurants, 1 garage – have provoked strong reactions. One Amazon reviewer was moved to “a primal scream of outrage,” but also saw “a fine example of resilience, of finding a way to make things work in an impossible world.”
To Gertler, the book makes the evils of the era, invisible to a wide swath of America, come alive: “Unless they’re an older person of color who lived through it, they probably heard about segregation in school but as a very abstract thing. Put a Green Book in their hands, and you see a dawning cross their face. They look up their home town, and maybe there’s no places listed.” Given some entries – Green’s placid urging to make reservations because “housing conditions make this necessary” – “There’s this certain expectation the book might be filled with angry polemics about how unfair this all is, but there’s little of that. The person buying this understood very well what the situation was. They were living it every day.”
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Above all, Gertler argues the books serve as a wake-up call. “They remind us of a past that we still carry with us,” he says, “and warn of what may come again.” His timing is propitious. At the end of another Black History Month and over 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the last Green Book, the state of the nation is regressive. Racists are in power, hate crimes have soared, police abuses go unchallenged, children are unschooled in our dark history, and a new report finds that civil rights have stalled or back-tracked, with child poverty on the rise, schools becoming re-segregated and white supremacists growing emboldened.
Travel for black Americans, meanwhile, remains fraught. “Just What You Have Been Looking For!!” proclaimed Victor Green in his first Negro Motorist Green Book, so many years ago. “Now We Can Travel Without Embarrassment.” Not so fast. Today, his book still resonates enough to have inspired at least two plays. A social media full of horror stories of closed doors and sudden cancellations has sparked the creation of popular hashtags like #TravelingWhileBlack and #AirbnbWhileBlack – Sample bitter joke: “bnb stands for ‘but no blacks.'” An enduring sense of vigilance by black travelers in parts of the country is widespread. And the questionable premise, “Where is it safe to drive?” remains sadly relevant.
In a foreword to one edition of his guide, Green wrote: “There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment.” He ended, “But until that time comes, we shall continue to publish this information for your convenience.” Still waiting, it seems.
A California man, who is an expert in recycling electronics, has found himself in a whole lot of trouble over his idea to help people save money when they upgrade their computers. RT LIVE…
A wintery cold snap covered the streets of Pristina with a layer of snow and ice on Monday, allowing locals to hit the slopes without having to hit the Alps. COURTESY: RT’s RUPTLY video agency,…
DICK’s Sporting Goods announced their decision to stop selling all “assault-style” weapons in their stores and banning sales to anyone under 21.
The corporate statement was sent in response to the teen-aged gun control activists after the Parkland high school shooting.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims and their loved ones. But thoughts and prayers are not enough,” the statement read.
The popular sporting goods retailer said they will no longer sell firearms to anyone under 21 years of age, and will no longer sell “assault-style” weapons in their stores and their Field & Stream stores. They also banned the sales of “high capacity magazines.”
Homeless alerts have hit a record high over the past 24 hours as the ‘Beast from the East’ brings sub-zero temperatures to the UK. So exactly how much is the Tory government doing to help some of the most disadvantaged people?
In its manifesto, the Tory government pledged to halve homelessness by 2020 and “eliminate it altogether” by 2027. On Tuesday, the cabinet dedicated a whole session to discussing how to tackle homelessness in the UK. The debate surrounded a £28 million ($39 million) program to provide stable and affordable housing for the homeless.
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Chancellor Philip Hammond did spare a whole minute during his Budget speech in November to announce £25 million towards helping rough sleepers. That seems a meager amount, however, compared to the £10 billion he’ll spend on helping people who want to buy a home.
The chancellor’s apparent indifference to tackling homelessness was laid bare during the same cabinet meeting on Tuesday when he appeared to trivialize the experience of rough sleeping by comparing it to a summer night he spent on a beach.
Hammond’s intervention, which was branded “disgraceful” by some members of the public, came just as Streetlink, an app which connects rough sleepers in England and Wales to local services, received a record high 3,600 alerts over the past 24 hours. The spike coincided with the Siberian ‘Beast from the East’ storm plunging the country into sub-zero temperatures.
The extent to which Tory austerity is failing rough sleepers was clear well before these figures. Just two weeks ago, a rough sleeper was found dead meters away from Parliament. Labour branded the incident an indictment of the state of ‘Tory Britain’.
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said in response: “I’ve just been told about the death of a rough sleeper right by the entrance to Parliament. The powerful can’t carry on walking by on the other side while people don’t have a home to call their own. It’s time all MPs took up this moral challenge and properly housed everyone.”
Moreover, the Tory-led Windsor Council recently made the headlines after leader Simon Dudley suggested police use their legal powers to remove homeless people from the streets in anticipation of the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
While another Tory council in Wales allegedly threatened homeless people with jail time if they embarrassed the city when Prince Harry and American TV actress Markle visited at the beginning of January. Cardiff charity Left Outside
Alone reported that the homeless had been told they would face 14 days in prison if they were “seen sitting on [the] floor in town.”
Another Conservative council came under fire for distributing posters accused of “demonizing” rough sleepers by cautioning the public against giving money to beggars as they might be faking their precarious conditions.
The Tories’ failure to protect the homeless is not a mere impression, but a reality. A report last September in fact reveals the number of homeless people soared by 134 percent since the Conservatives took power in 2010.
An autumn snapshot survey by the National Audit Office recorded 4,134 rough sleepers in 2016 – marking an increase of 134 percent since the Tory-led coalition took power in 2010. An increase of 48 percent in the number of families being assessed as eligible for temporary accommodations by councils was also recorded.
President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through US politics during a White House meeting with lawmakers, appearing to endorse Democrats’ proposals for gun control while shutting down those from fellow Republicans.
Trump sat down with over a dozen lawmakers on Wednesday, two weeks after a former student killed 17 people and wounded 14 others at a Parkland, Florida high school. He seemed enthusiastic about tougher background checks proposed by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and a 2013 bill proposed by Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia).
“You have a different president now,” he said. He told the lawmakers that he would be outlawing “bump stocks” with an executive order by the end of the week and urged them to combine their proposals into a single “beautiful” bill he could sign, and soon.
Trump also urged the lawmakers to do something “very decisive” about the mentally ill.
“I don’t want mentally ill people to be having guns,” he said, going so far as to argue the government should “take the guns first, go through due process second” in cases of individuals with mental illness who pose a danger to themselves and others.
Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence advocated due process first, while Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pointed out that many people with mental illness are not a danger and outlawing their access to firearms would be unfair.
When Democrats cautioned that the National Rifle Association (NRA) would be against their proposals, Trump mocked them for being “afraid” of the NRA. “They have great power over you people,” he said.
“I’m a big fan of the NRA … These are great people, these are great patriots,” he said. “They love our country. But that doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything.”
The president was also dismissive of the concealed-carry reciprocity proposal floated by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), who was seriously wounded in the October 2017 shooting at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia.
“You’ll never get this passed. If you add concealed carry to this you’ll never get it passed. Let it be a separate bill,” Trump told Scalise.
Some conservative commentators – and fierce Trump critics – were incensed by the comments.
Forget that it’s guns, and substitute any other item into the sentence, legal or illegal. This is an open call for lawbreaking by the authorities. The good argument is to change the law so the police had options. This is not that argument. https://t.co/0LS7A9zby9
The insanity of Trump mouth-farting on national TV about removing guns from citizens without due process is surpassed only by Democrats’ excitement at the possibility of actual Trumpian authoritarianism.
NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch was also perturbed by Trump’s comments.
“We’re talking about punishing innocent Americans and stripping their rights without due process,” she told Fox News on Wednesday evening. “Due process must be respected…It is the foundational principle of this country.”
Loesch was also opposed to a proposal to raise the age limit for gun purchases from 18 to 21, which Trump seemed to approve of in the meeting.
Read more
“Making people wait does not solve psychosis,” she argued.
There is a good chance the age restriction may go into effect even without a law. Dick’s Sporting Goods, a major seller of outdoors equipment, announced on Wednesday that it would no longer sell firearms to customers under the age of 21. Walmart followed suit later in the day, saying it was the right decision “in light of recent events.”
Protecting the Second Amendment was Trump’s second campaign plank, right after immigration. Following the Florida school shooting, Democrats reached out to gun control groups to see how they could politicize the issue to their advantage in the upcoming midterm elections in November, according to the Washington Post.
“Let’s not set our sights too narrow or squander this moment,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said on Tuesday, prompting the Post to report how the party is planning to torpedo Murphy’s background check bill in order to push for more expansive gun control legislation.
Yet there was Trump, backing Murphy’s bill at the White House and apparently agreeing with other things the Democrats were bringing up. Strange as that scene was, it was not without precedent. In January, Trump laid out the “four pillars” for immigration reform, drawing fire from Republicans for offering amnesty to 1.8 million illegal immigrants, even if that meant funding for the border wall and abolition of chain migration and the diversity lottery. Then, as now, he made the proposals at a televised meeting at the White House.
The Democrats proceeded to self-destruct, denouncing Trump’s proposal as racist and scuttling the amnesty negotiations entirely, to the great dismay of their immigrant activist supporters.
https://democracynow.org – The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that federal authorities can continue to indefinitely detain some immigrants and asylum seekers without a bond hearing. The 5-3 ruling…
The United States is afraid of peace breaking out on the Korean peninsula because it will then lose rationale for having troops and bases in Japan and South Korea to keep the North Koreans at bay, says Dennis Etler, an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs.
Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday while commenting on a report which says the United States and South Korea are launching a joint military exercise despite warnings by North Korea that the move may jeopardize a nascent rapprochement between Pyongyang and Seoul.
“It should be patently obvious that resuming joint military exercises between the US and South Korea would put the kibosh on any rapprochement between the two Koreas and make the prospects for any talks between North Korea and the US dead on arrival. Why then proceed with…
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn slithers toward sellout
By
Chris Marsden
1 March 2018
The depth of the political crisis facing British imperialism is indicated by the generally welcoming response of the main business organisations to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s keynote speech on Brexit delivered on Monday.
Amid intense discussion of how long Prime Minister Theresa May can survive, Corbyn’s pledge to seek a new negotiated customs union with the European Union (EU) was hailed for providing opportunities to counteract the dominance of the “hard-Brexit” wing of the Conservative Party. This, it is hoped, could make possible a negotiated agreement allowing tariff-free access to the Single European Market and even reversing Brexit should May’s efforts to secure an acceptable Brexit deal fail.
The Financial Times praised Corbyn’s “welcome shift on the customs union” for serving “the national interest” by possibly pushing the Conservatives to pursue “a more sensible Brexit.”
Confederation of British Industry Director General Carolyn Fairbairn praised the “Labour leader’s commitment to a customs union” that puts “jobs and living standards first by remaining in a close economic relationship with the EU.” Stephen Martin of the Institute of Directors added that “many businesses, particularly manufacturers, will be pleased to hear the Opposition’s proposal to keep a customs union on the table.”
The welcome extended to Corbyn by such forces is a warning of the pro-business and anti-working-class character of his programme. A careful reading of his speech provides a measure of the role that would be played by any future Labour government, under conditions where a deepening Tory crisis could hasten a general election.
The author of the Trump-bashing bestseller ‘Fire and Fury’ Michael Wolff was hit with an inconvenient question in an Australian TV interview. So inconvenient, in fact, that he had to feign…
The Southern Poverty Law Center is assisting YouTube in policing content on their platform, The Daily Caller has learned.
The left-wing nonprofit — which has more recently come under fire for labeling legitimate conservative organizations as “hate groups” — is one of the more than 100 nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and government agencies in YouTube’s “Trusted Flaggers” program, a source with knowledge of the arrangement told TheDC.
The SPLC and other program members help police YouTube for extremist content, ranging from so-called hate speech to terrorist recruiting videos.
All of the groups in the program have confidentiality agreements, a spokesperson for Google, YouTube’s parent company, previously told TheDC. A handful of YouTube’s “Trusted Flaggers,” including the Anti-Defamation League and No Hate Speech — a European organization focused on combatting intolerance — have gone public with their participation in the program. The vast majority of the groups in the program have remained hidden behind their confidentiality agreements.
The SPLC’s close involvement in policing content on YouTube is likely to cause consternation among conservatives who worry that they may not be treated fairly. The left-wing group has consistently labeled pedestrian conservative organizations as “hate groups” and has been directly tied to violence against conservatives in the past. Floyd Lee Corkins, who opened fire at the Family Research Center in 2012, said he chose the FRC for his act of violence because the SPLC listed them as a “hate group.”
https://democracynow.org – As Black History Month wraps up, we look at the record-breaking movie “Black Panther.” Since the release of “Black Panther” earlier this month, fans have…
Eleven people became ill at a US military base in Arlington, Virginia, a short walk away from the Pentagon, after opening a suspicious letter. Read more: https://on.rt.com/9026 RT LIVE http://rt.c…
President Donald Trump announced that he would not proceed to build the wall on the southern border without the approval of the entire project.
“I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed.”
I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved. Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed. OUR COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!
Trump faces staunch opposition in California to his project, despite Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s ruling that the administration could legally ignore environmental laws to speed up border construction.
The president is frustrated with California’s protection of illegal immigrants, even threatening to remove ICE agents entirely from the state.
A New York Times/Survey Monkey poll last week revealed that, for the first time, a slim majority of Americans support last December’s Republican tax cuts—cuts that disproportionately benefit the rich, redistributing money from the poor to the wealthiest Americans.
How was the impressive feat of reality-inversion achieved? How did a tax cut that, once it’s all said and done, mainly benefits a small group of top earners become broadly popular? One reason is the nonstop deluge of stories over the past two months, cheerleading alleged “tax cut bonuses” from large corporations.
Democratic-leaning cable network MSNBC and its colleagues NBC, it should be noted, have mostly been the exception, avoiding the talking point for the most part. But Fox News, CNBC, Fox Business, CNN and dozens of local media outlets joined the messaging charge, singing the bill’s money-saving praises. Here is just a small sample:
AT&T, Comcast Say GOP Tax Bill Will Mean $1,000 Bonuses for Employees (Washington Post, 12/20/17)
AT&T to Pay $1,000 Bonus Due to Tax Cuts (BBC, 12/20/17)
AT&T Giving $1,000 Bonus to Every Employee in the US When Trump Signs Tax Bill Into Law (Dallas Morning News, 12/20/17)
AT&T Is Handing Out $1,000 Bonuses to Its Employees After Tax Bill Passes (Forbes, 12/20/17)
The Best Way to Use a Tax Bill Bonus (CNBC, 12/22/17)
Bank of America Is Giving Some Employees a $1,000 Bonus, Citing Tax Bill (CNBC, 12/22/17)
American Airlines to Give Employees $1,000 Bonus to Share Tax Reform Benefit (Dallas Morning News, 1/2/18)
American and Southwest Airlines Promise ‘Tax Bill Bonus’ for Employees (Fortune, 1/3/18)
Alaska Air Employees Will Get $1,000 Bonus Due to Tax Overhaul (Seattle Times, 1/5/18)
List of Companies That Paid Bonuses or Boosted Pay Since Tax Bill Passed (USA Today, 1/11/18)
Some of the Companies Giving Out Raises and Bonuses Because of Tax Reform (CNN, 1/11/18)
Home Depot to Give Hourly Workers One-Time Bonus of Up to $1,000 in Cash (AP, 1/25/18)
Lowe’s to Pay US Staff $1,000 Bonus Following Tax Reform (Reuters, 2/1/18)
The degree to which congressional Republicans and business leaders coordinated on this messaging—either directly or through trade organizations like the Chamber of Commerce—is unknown. But every element of the rollout reeks of public relations: exact same figure, exact same messaging, staggered announcements to keep the drumbeat going and the “$1000 Bonus!” headlines in the news. ($1,000 is such a nice, round, pseudo-large number, isn’t it?)
As FAIR noted in regards to high-profile ISIS “plots” that are actually FBI-contrived Potemkin productions (Extra!, 5/15), only 40 percent of readers actually read past the headline. The substance of these high-profile “bonuses,” sometimes spelled out in the articles, is irrelevant to their net propaganda effect. This is compounded by the problem of local and cable news—media genres that are effectively just headlines being yelled at people—which ran nonstop stories on these alleged $1,000 bonuses:
As Bess Levin noted at Vanity Fair (12/21/17), to the extent the bonuses are real, they are a small PR cost for a broader ideological, long-term win—as are the minor wage increases and charitable donations that other corporations announced. “Goldman Sachs has estimated that the GOP tax bill will increase Wells Fargo’s profits by $3.7 billion next year, so $400 million to charity is ‘basically tithing,’” Levin wrote, quoting the tweet of the New York Times‘ Binyamin Appelbaum:
Wells Fargo currently pays a minimum of $13.50 an hour. They had about 25,000 workers at that level last year. So raising the minimum to $15/hour costs them about $80 million a year, assuming those workers are full time.
Put differently: Wells Fargo just announced that it will use 2 percent of its tax-cut windfall to pay higher wages.
While there has been some pushback on the impact of these bonuses—in outlets ranging from the New York Times (2/2/18, 2/10/18), Huffington Post (1/20/18, 2/1/18), Vanity Fair (12/21/17) and Think Progress (12/20/17) to The Verge (2/20/17)—the overall torrent of headlines has had their intended net effect. In a media culture that’s atomized and paranoid about anything that approaches “conspiracy theory,” calling these bonus announcements what they are—a cynical (likely coordinated) public relations effort by Republicans and large corporations—is frowned upon. Instead, we’re supposed to see dozens of congressional Republicans, right-wing media and large corporate PR teams singing the same tune, and assume it’s a totally organic series of occurrences, each deserving its own press release, without connecting any of the dots.
Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, 28 February 2018
First they came for the Alt-Right . . .
The greatest Christmas movie in American history is Die Hard. In one of the most memorable scenes, John McClane watches with frustration as Officer Al Powell is misled into thinking there is no problem at an office building, where there has actually been a deadly hostage-taking. Before the complacent officer can drive away, our hero throws a corpse from a window onto the policeman’s car, then opens fire with an automatic weapon. As Officer Powell drives away screaming into his radio for backup, John McClane, his objective of attracting police attention achieved, cries triumphantly, “Welcome to the party, pal!”
White advocates may feel the same way about the current situation facing the National Rifle Association. Since the election of President Donald Trump, journalists, tech companies, and financial institutions have deplatformed white advocates on the pretext that they are “fighting hate.” There is a campaign to try to strip nonprofit status from dissident organizations such as New Century Foundation and VDARE Foundation. Internet companies are stopping racially aware whites from sharing their message through restrictive policies that are motivated by ideology. Reporters are leading pressure campaigns against advertisers in what is thinly disguised as “journalism.”
President Trump, and conservatives generally, have rewarded corporate America with a tax cut but…
A study has determined that if you hate body odor then you probably vote right wing… seems legit. It’s not the first time scientists have researched some strange things – so here’s a list of some of their weirder studies.
Body odor = right wing voter
Okay, so this has been mentioned already, but it is hard to believe that someone actually funded this. A team of scientists have apparently come to the conclusion that authoritarian attitudes may be partly rooted in a biological urge to avoid catching diseases from unfamiliar people. Nothing to do with a respect for basic hygiene, then? Duly noted.
Why do old men have big ears?
In July 1993, some clever person observed that old men usually have large ears. Some agreed, some disagreed – and thus a study was born.
Two years later, James A. Heathcote submitted his findings to the British Medical Journal. The study confirmed that old men usually have bigger ears, but concluded on the following note: “why ears should get bigger when the rest of the body stops growing is not answered by this research.” Another of life’s great mysteries shall remain unsolved.
The brand personality of rocks
This utterly ridiculous study investigated how people personify inanimate objects… in this case, rocks. Using Aaker’s brand personality scale – a tool used in marketing research – the study applies Aaker’s principles to determine the brand personality of rocks.
During the research pictures of three rocks were put in front of 225 Kiwi students who were then asked which personality traits applied to each. The rocks’ “personalities” were described in great detail, including as “a big New York type businessman, rich, smooth, maybe a little shady,” “a gypsy or a traveller, a hippie” and “liberal, attractive and female.”
Thrilling stuff, so well done to Sarah Forbes from the University of Birmingham and her colleagues in New Zealand and Canada. They are the ones we have to thank for this gem of a research topic.
The Neural Bases of Disgust for Cheese: An fMRI Study
Okay, this one I get. This study is looking into why some people hate cheese… obviously so they can cure them of such a horrendous ailment, right?
Wrong. The study didn’t look at how to cure those involved of such an erroneous affliction, but merely exposed cheese-haters to cheese, which – wait for it – they were disgusted by.
In the end the research found that “the study of food disgust and aversion in humans is difficult because it is rare to find individuals who present disgust for the same type of food… our findings show that a higher-than-expected proportion of individuals are disgusted by cheese than by other food categories.”
So it appears that this one was a total waste of time. That really is a surprise.
GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human
Thomas Thwaites turned his weird experience into a book. He built a goat exoskeleton – in other words artificial legs, helmet, chest protector, a raincoat from his mum, and a prosthetic goat stomach to digest grass (with the help of a pressure cooker and campfire) – before setting off across the Alps with a herd of his fellow goats.
Because of course you do. This is what any sane, normal human being does in their spare time. Did he discover what it truly means to be human – or goat?
The short answer is inconclusive. He turned his research into a book, which RT’s journalist refused to read on the straightforward ground of its sheer ridiculousness. Guess we’ll never know… unless you buy his book.
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US retail giant Walmart became the second major arms seller in a day to impose restrictions on firearm sales, raising the age limit to 21. It comes after Dick’s Sporting Goods said it is halting the sales of assault-style weapons.
Keeping ahead of the gun control debate and the profit-hurting wave of liberal fury, Walmart, the biggest gun seller in the US, announced the move in a statement on Wednesday. It says the decision was made “in light of recent events,” referring to the shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks ago, in which 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, armed with an AR-15 rifle, gunned down 17 students. Walmart said it will strive to implement the new guidelines, which will apply to firearms and ammunition, “as quickly as possible.”
In addition to increasing the age limit, Walmart pledged to pull items that look like assault-style rifles off its website. Non-lethal airsoft guns and even toys will become off-limits in a move that is bound to anger the advocates of the 2nd Amendment.
Read more
Walmart emphasized that as a “responsible seller of firearms” it has more rigid background checks in place than those required by law. Whereas normally the sale can proceed if there’s no response to the background check request within three days, Walmart requires receiving approval.
In recent years, the retailer has been gradually reducing its customers’ access to lethal weapons. In 2006, it stopped selling guns in one-third of its stores across the US, citing a lack of demand. The move sparked concerns from the influential National Rifle Association (NRA) and various hunting groups. In 2015, Walmart made a milestone decision to stop selling semi-automatic rifles entirely, including the infamous AR-15, which has grown into a dark symbol of mass shootings over the years.
The latest move was generally praised on Twitter by proponents of stricter gun controls, who linked the change in policy to the large-scale campaign launched by the students of the Parkland School, which has since spread nationwide.
Whenever you’re feeling cynical, remember that a bunch of high school students got Walmart & Dick’s to stop selling guns to people < 21.
No matter how strong the opposition, no matter how impossible the odds, remember that you are never alone and that we are powerful together.
When even freakin’ Walmart — not exactly the most conscious company — raises the minimum age to purchase guns to 21, it’s clear the movement to clean up America’s toxic gun culture has finally arrived.
Walmart follows the example of another major player on the market, one of the US largest sports retailers, Dick’s Sporting Goods. The company’s CEO Ed Stack announced earlier on Wednesday that the company executives were struck by the revelations that Cruz purchased a gun in one of their stores. Although it was not the type of the weapon Cruz used in the rampage, Stack said the company would halt the sale of assault-style weapons at all of its stores and raise the age limit to buy any firearms to 21. The company has not sold rifles since 2012, but other guns falling under the ‘assault weapon’ category have remained available. The announcement drew a mix of reactions on Twitter, with some commentators calling it a PR stunt and a decision based on poor sales rather than genuine concerns about gun safety.
The decisions by the companies, which have shown a rare unity in self-imposing restrictions that may negatively impact their sales, comes as public campaigns against the NRA, and what many criticized as US President Donald Trump’s inaction, are gaining pace.
Major gun retailers on par with the NRA have become the main targets in the recent push for firearm control. Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Good, in particular, were on the receiving end of the public fury, with activists calling for their boycott before the recent turn of the events.
All aboard?
BOYCOTT WALMART…The largest seller of guns and ammo in the world.
BOYCOTT DICK’S SPORTING GOODS…. Another big seller of guns and ammo in US.
BOYCOTT ALL COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS WITH THE RADICAL DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION… THE NRA.
@Walmart Stop selling guns that kill kids. Stop selling bullets that kill children. On Mon, I am selling my stock in your company. I will not buy merchandise from you again until you stop facilitating gun murders. #boycottwalmart#BoycottNRA
While some celebrated the Walmart and Dick’s back-to-back announcements as a victory for the student movement, the idea to raise the age limit to 21, albeit “for certain firearms,” has been backed by Trump. Debunking the rumors that the US President no longer supports the proposal, which he publicly endorsed on Saturday in an interview with Fox News, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed on Tuesday that Trump is still in favor of raising the age limit.
“The President still supports raising the age limit to the age of 21 for the purchase of certain firearms,” she said.
https://democracynow.org – While “Black Panther” has broken box office records, it has also generated an intense debate. We host a roundtable with three guests: Christopher Lebron, a professor…
From North Korea to Syria President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is literally all over the map. North Korea says it is open to direct talks with Washington, only to be met with preconditions….
Attending a high-profile security conference in the Bavarian city of Munich forced Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, and the German Defense Ministry, to take extreme measures to facilitate his arrival and departure.
Zarif was warned by the private companies that operate Munich Airport that they would refuse to refuel his official jet to make the return trip after the conference was over, citing fear the US would punish them for doing so. They suggested that he either bring a plane that could carry enough fuel for the round trip, or instead fly to Vienna, Austria and then drive the 400+ kilometers to Munich for the conference, since Vienna’s airport is run by a different company.
Option three, it turns out, was for Zarif to petition the German government about the problem, and the solution ended up being that the German Defense Ministry agreed that the German military would be in charge of refueling Zarif’s plane for the sake of departing Munich, as they apparently do not fear US reprisals.
All’s well that ends well, but this once again underscores that the US is acting in such bad faith with respect to obliged sanctions relief for Iran that airports nowhere near the US are afraid to refuel official Iranian planes who are invited for major international events.
Iran has been going through this problem virtually from the start of the P5+1 nuclear deal, with European banks fearing financing perfectly legal business deals between Iran and EU companies because they think the US will take revenge on them for doing business with the Iranians. Though publicly US officials have at times denied pressuring EU banks about this, at other times Treasury officials have bragged about how limited Iran’s access to international commerce remains, despite the supposed sanction relief. This incident just adds to Iran’s grievances about the way the deal is being handled, grievances which are largely shared by the EU parties to the deal, whose companies are losing out on lucrative business ties because of US acrimony.
Two senators are introducing a bill to end the Unites States’ intervention in the Saudi war on impoverished Yemen.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Republican Senator Mike Lee introduced a resolution on Wednesday afternoon to stop Washington’ support for the Saudi-led war.
“This legislation is neither liberal, nor conservative,” said Lee from the US state of Utah at a news conference. “It’s constitutional.”
The effort seeks to invoke the War Powers Resolution and end the US role in the war-ravaged country.
It, however, excludes drone strikes the US military launches against al-Qaeda terrorists in the Arab world’s poorest nation.
The directive is clear: “Congress hereby directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or associated forces.”
WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced bipartisan legislation that would remove U.S. forces from hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels in Yemen pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, setting up a rare vote in the Senate to end unauthorized U.S. military action.
Since March 2015, the U.S. has been providing intelligence and logistical support to a Saudi-led military coalition’s intervention in Yemen’s civil war aimed at wresting control of the country from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. This military support, which was never authorized by Congress, has included participation in naval blockades, mid-air refuelings of coalition warplanes, targeting assistance and more. The U.S. has also approved tens of billions of dollars worth of arms sales to coalition states since the start of the intervention.
Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, explained how Congress’ dereliction of duty landed U.S. forces in an unauthorized war in Yemen. “The Constitution imbued Congress with the power to decide when the United States goes to war, but despite new and ongoing wars, Congress hasn’t exercised that power since it authorized the Iraq War in 2002. Congress has effectively ceded its war powers to the executive branch, allowing three presidents now to wage war virtually anywhere in the world without input from the American people. This legislation led by Senators Sanders and Lee is a chance to start remedying that, and in a way that could mean the difference between life and death for millions of Yemenis.”
According to the United Nations and a host of human rights and peace groups, the Saudi-led bombing campaign paired with a ongoing blockades of Yemen’s borders and ports has choked the country’s access to food, fuel and medical supplies, contributing to widespread famine and disease. According to the U.N., as of December 2017, some 22 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian aid, about 8.4 million are on the verge of starvation, and over 1 million people have contracted cholera, a normally preventable disease.
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Martin argues U.S. support for the campaign has helped create what experts are calling the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. “The U.S. role in Yemen has made us complicit in human rights violations, war crimes and suffering on a massive scale. American taxpayers have been floating the bill for mid-air refuelings of Saudi warplanes, but the people of Yemen are paying the real price.” In the last two weeks of 2017, at least 109 civilians were killed in coalition airstrikes that hit a marketplace and a farm.
“By continuing to blindly back Saudi Arabia’s starvation campaign, on top of fueling Yemen’s suffering, the U.S. is creating more enemies and fueling the very extremism the War on Terror is supposed to be eradicating,” said Martin. “Congress knows this, but Saudi Arabia’s legions of lobbyists on Capitol Hill have convinced some members of Congress to bury their heads in the sand.”
Last fall, the House of Representatives acknowledged in an overwhelming vote that the U.S. military’s role in Yemen’s civil war was never authorized by Congress. According to Martin, now is the time for Congress to act on that acknowledgement. “If the war in Yemen rages on, hundreds of thousands or even millions of Yemenis could die of starvation. Ending U.S. support for the war could force Saudi Arabia to finally negotiate in good faith with the Houthis. In other words, ending the U.S. role in Yemen could bring about an end to the war itself.”
In Martin’s view, the decision facing Congress is straightforward. “A vote against this legislation is a vote for more unchecked war powers for President Trump and future presidents, and for more U.S. complicity in Yemen’s suffering,” said Martin. “Polling indicates that Americans are tired of unrestrained interventionism and want Congress to reassert its authority on matters of war and peace. In what promises to be a pivotal election year, members of Congress would do well to remember where the American people stand.”
A November 2017 J. Wallin Opinion Research poll of American voters found that 57 percent believe military aid to foreign countries is counterproductive; 63.9 percent believe military aid including money and weapons should not be provided to countries like Saudi Arabia; 70.8 percent believe Congress should pass legislation to restrain overseas military action by requiring “clearly defined goals to authorize military engagement” (78.8 percent), requiring Congress “to have both oversight and accountability regarding where troops are stationed” (77 percent), and requiring that “any donation of funds or equipment to a foreign country be matched by a pledge of that country to adhere to the rules of the Geneva Convention” (84.8 percent); 59.1 percent support H.Con.Res. 81 (similar legislation to the bill being introduced in the Senate); and 51.3 percent say they would be less likely to vote for their congressional representatives if they do not act to withdraw U.S. forces from the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
While Black Panther has broken box office records, it has also generated an intense debate. We host a roundtable with three guests: Christopher Lebron, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who recently wrote “Black Panther Is Not the Film We Deserve”; Robyn C. Spencer, a professor at Lehman College, who wrote “Black Feminist Meditations on the Women of Wakanda”; and Carvell Wallace, author of The New York Times Magazine story “Why Black Panther Is a Defining Moment for Black America.”
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. In addition to our guests Carvell Wallace and Robyn Spencer, we’re joined by Christopher Lebron, professor at Johns Hopkins University, author of The Making of Black Lives Matter. His recent piece, “‘Black Panther’ Is Not the Film We Deserve.”
Thanks so much for being with us, Christopher Lebron. What did you like and not like about the film?
CHRISTOPHER LEBRON: Good morning, and thanks for having me on. I’m pleased to be able to join Robyn and Carvell, who are brilliant thinkers.
What I liked about the film was the generally positive aspect of being able to portray black folks on a screen as powerful, as advanced, as, in some sense, having a way of trying to think about self-determination and trying to bring that debate to the screen.
What I didn’t like about the film were two things. One, it seems whenever we have a film that is trying to portray people with dark skin as trying to free themselves, to think about liberation, it always seems that we’re in our own way. Here we have the first big blockbuster movie in quite a while featuring a black hero, and the villain, the person he must overcome, despite all talk about imperialism and colonialism, is a black man, especially an American black man, the only American black man in the movie.
I also didn’t like the fact that Killmonger, the supposed villain of the movie, the only American black man in the movie, he’s essentially a broken person. You…
I am loath to draw more attention to the kind of idiocy that passes for informed comment nowadays from academics and mainstream journalists. Recently I lambasted Prof Richard Carver for his arguments against BDS that should have gained him an F for logic in any high school exam.
Now we have to endure Brian Whitaker, the Guardian’s former Middle East editor, using every ploy in the misdirection and circular logic playbook to discredit those who commit thought crimes on Syria, by raising questions both about what is really happening there and about whether we can trust the corporate media consensus banging the regime-change drum.
Whitaker’s arguments and assumptions may be preposterous but sadly, like Carver’s, they are to be found everywhere in the mainstream – they have become so commonplace through repetition that they have gained a kind of implicit credibility. So let’s unpack what Whitaker and his ilk are claiming.
Whitaker’s latest outburst is directed against the impudence of a handful of British academics, including experts in the study of propaganda, in setting up a panel – the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media – to “provide a source of reliable, informed and timely analysis for journalists, publics and policymakers” on Syria. The researchers include Tim Hayward of Edinburgh University and Piers Robinson of Sheffield University.
So what are Whitaker’s objections to this working group? Let’s run…
When an airplane is approaching Singapore Changi Airport, it makes the final approach either from the direction of Peninsular Malaysia, or from the Indonesian island of Batam.
Either way, the scope for natural disaster under the wings is of monumental proportions.
All the primary forest of the Malaysian state bordering Singapore – Johor – is now gone and the tremendous sprawl of scarred land, mostly covered by palm oil plantations, is expanding far towards the horizon. The predictable plantation grid pattern is only interrupted by motorways, contained human settlements, and by few, mostly palm oil-related industrial structures.
On the Indonesian side, the Island of Batam resembles a horror apocalyptic movie: there is always some thick smoke rising towards the sky, and there are clearly visible, badly planned and terribly constructed towns and villages. Water around the island is of a dubious, frightening color. The environmental destruction is absolute. Batam was supposed to be the Indonesian answer to Singapore. Indonesia was dreaming about a modern mega city with a super airport and port, dotted with factories, research centers and shopping facilities. But the turbo-capitalist country hoped that all this would be created by the private sector. That was, of course, unrealistic. What followed was an absolute disaster.
As it is now, Batam is nothing more than a series of ‘Potemkin Villages’, complete with several potholed four-lane roads that lead…
Heartrending footage of dedicated firefighters performing CPR on a cat while its frantic owner looks on has been captured by Ruptly video crew. The episode occurred after a fire in Volgograd,…
In March 2017, FBI agents were tailing House of Representatives IT aides suspected of hacking Congress, and apprehended one at the airport trying to make a hasty exit to Pakistan. She refused to speak with them, and a search revealed that she was carrying an apparently illegal amount of cash.
The FBI allowed Hina Alvi, wife of Imran Awan, to board the plane anyway — then filed paperwork saying agents believed she had no intention of returning to the U.S.
For nearly a year since, the case has lingered despite the House Office of Inspector General (OIG) determining that the family of Pakistanis made “unauthorized access” to Congress’s data shortly before the election.
Following revelations about the FBI’s actions in the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email server and Department of Justice officials’ handling of the Trump dossier, attention has turned to the agencies’ apparently lax attitude toward the congressional cyber breach case as perhaps the most jarring failure to enforce laws in cases that overlap politics.
Jacob Rees-Mogg responded to an unsubstantiated rumor of a plot between Labour and the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. The Brexiteer tweeted: “If true this would be infamous,” in reply to a Times journalist’s post.
The Tory MP was commenting on a post by the deputy political editor for the Times, Sam Coates, who wrote: “This hints at co-operation between Labour and Barnier to change Theresa May’s brexit position.”
Coates was referencing allegations, made on Twitter, that Jeremy Corbyn’s endorsement of an EU customs union was timed to coincide with Barnier’s publishing of an EU plan to include Northern Ireland in the same union.
This hints at co-operation between Labour and Barnier to change Theresa May’s brexit position. (Keir Starmer is in Brussels today for talks with the Commission btw) https://t.co/wQ3wE4iaeC
The Times journalist also mentioned that Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, was in “Brussels today for talks with the [European] Commission.”
Corbyn and Starmer have both met with the EU negotiating team, including Barnier, in recent weeks. After one meeting, Corbyn promised to run the Brexit negotiations “very differently” if he came to power.
Coates’ original tweet, and Mogg’s response, had plenty of support. One Twitter user accused Labour of being “traitorous,” another cried “treason.” Others, though, accused Coates of spreading “fake news.”
Traitorous weasel Keir Starmer colludes with the enemy, no surprises there given he’s serving a leader like Corbo. Atrocious behaviour.
You are not spreading Fake news are you Sam? That is quite an accusation unless you have proof. Fake news is so distasteful especially from so-called respected journalists.
Disneyland unions are demanding higher wages after a new survey revealed that many workers at the California theme park are struggling to make ends meet and some have even been homeless while the company’s profits soar.
A survey of 5,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California found that many were unable to afford basic food and medical expenses. Eleven percent of the workers even said they experienced homelessness in the past two years. The findings come from a union-backed report ‘Working for the Mouse’, which was conducted by researchers at Occidental College and the Economic Roundtable and released on Wednesday.
The group of 11 unions behind the survey is calling on Disneyland Resort to raise its base wage to $20 an hour.
Read more
“I have been working for Disneyland for almost 28 years and I make less than $20 an hour. If I didn’t have my husband to help with the bills and other life expenses, I would be living out of my car, or worse, homeless,” an anonymous merchandise host said in the survey, which was conducted in October 2017.
The average hourly wage for Disneyland resort workers actually went down by 15 percent between 2000 and 2017, from $15.80 to $13.36 after adjusting for inflation. Disneyland generated over $3 billion in revenues for the Walt Disney Company in 2016.
More than 85 percent of unionized workers at Disneyland earn less than $15 an hour. Almost three-quarters of them said that they do not earn enough money to afford basic expenses each month, the survey revealed. Over half of the employees expressed concerns about being evicted from their homes.
“I have a full-time job that does not allow me to live like a human being. My stress and anxiety levels are so high because I live paycheck to paycheck, asking people if I could borrow money for gas to get me to work,” one anonymous full-time worker said in the survey.
Disney denounced the survey as inaccurate and said it does not reflect the feelings of the 30,000 employees or “cast members” at the resort.
“This inaccurate and unscientific survey was paid for by politically motivated labor unions and its results are deliberately distorted,” Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown told the Orange County Register.
“While we recognize that socio-economic challenges exist for many people living in Southern California, we take pride in our employment experience,” Brown added.
In a recent CNBC survey, California was ranked as the third most expensive state in the US in terms of the cost of living, behind Hawaii and New York.
Disney’s first theme park opened 1955. The park attracted more than 27.2 million visitors in 2016. The Walt Disney Company was named as the number six “World’s Most Admired Companies” by Fortune Magazine in 2018.
Hope Hicks, a top aide to US President Donald Trump, has become the latest in the administration to announce her resignation.
The communications director who is Trump’s longest-serving aide and one of his most trusted confidante announced her resignation on Wednesday.
Hicks said she would quit a day after she testified before a Congressional intelligence committee about an ongoing probe into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election that yielded President Trump.
The American public relations consultant reportedly told lawmakers she had already told “white lies” for Trump, but never over the Russia probe.
“There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump,” said the 29-year-old (pictured above) in a statement on her resignation.
The announcement came as the Trump administration is already suffering from a string of departures from the embattled White House.
A spectacular light show greeted residents of Brazil’s Santa Catarina state on Monday when a double solar halo appeared in the skies above them. Luckily for us, the heavenly phenomenon was…
From the Archive: The State Department is reportedly spending $40 million to bolster the Global Engagement Center’s efforts to crack down on “foreign propaganda.” On this occasion we republish an article by Rick Sterling examining the motives behind this initiative launched in the waning days of the Obama administration.
The U.S. establishment is not content simply to have domination over the media narratives on critical foreign policy issues, such as Syria, Ukraine and Russia. It wants total domination. Thus we now have the “Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act” that President Obama signed into law on Dec. 23 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017, setting aside $160 million to combat any “propaganda” that challenges Official Washington’s version of reality.
Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, addresses the Security Council meeting on Syria, Sept. 25, 2016. Power has been an advocate for escalating U.S. military involvement in Syria. (UN Photo)
The new law mandates the U.S. Secretary of State to collaborate with the Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence and other federal agencies to create a Global Engagement Center “to lead, synchronize, and coordinate efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining United States national security interests.” The law directs the Center to be formed in 180 days and to share expertise among agencies and to “coordinate with allied nations.”
The legislation was initiated in March 2016, as the demonization of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia was already underway and was enacted amid the allegations of “Russian hacking” around the U.S. presidential election and the mainstream media’s furor over supposedly “fake news.” Defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for the bill: “It’s imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy,…
Hope Hicks, White House communications director, said Wednesday she is resigning, marking the departure of a presidential confidante and longtime lieutenant from the West Wing.
Ms. Hicks has been one of President Donald Trump’s longest-serving aides, handling most of the communications responsibilities for his 2016 election campaign before joining him as director of strategic communications. In September, she was tapped to serve as communications director, becoming the fourth person to hold that role in the administration’s first year. Over Mr. Trump’s first 13 months in office, she has become his closest aide who isn’t a member of the family, according to several officials.
Ms. Hicks, 29 years old, told the president in recent weeks that she wanted to leave the White House to explore outside opportunities, according to a White House official. Ms. Hicks informed the president Wednesday that she planned to resign. She doesn’t yet have a departure date, but is expected to leave in the coming weeks.
“There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump,” Ms. Hicks said in a statement. “I wish the President and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country.”
In a statement, Mr. Trump called Ms. Hicks “outstanding” and “as smart and thoughtful as they come.”
“I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood,” Mr. Trump said. “I am…
Apple CEO Tim Cook has one big hope for the future – that he lives to see the end of money.
“…I’m hoping that I’m still going to be alive to see the elimination of money.”
Speaking at a meeting for Apple shareholders in Cupertino, California earlier this month, Cook made it clear that he is firmly on the side of the war-on-cash establishment.
“Because why would you have this stuff! Why go through all the expense of printing this stuff and then some people steal it, and you’ve got to worry about counterfeits and all these things,” he continued.
As Apple’s CEO talked about the downsides of cash, BI reported that he became more animated, revealing his real passion about the topic…
“We can provide a solution for the customer that’s simpler, more convenient, you don’t carry around a wallet with a bunch of cards in it, or a purse with a bunch of cards in it,” Cook said.
“And it’s more secure, if you’ve ever had your credit card ripped off, I’m sure a lot of you have, I have, it’s not a good experience.”
The enemies of cash claim that only crooks and cranks need large-denomination bills. They want large transactions to be made electronically so government can follow them. Yet these are some of the same European politicians who blew a gasket when they learned that U.S. counterterrorist officials were monitoring money through the Swift global system. Criminals will find a way, large bills or not.
The real reason the war on cash is gearing up now is political: Politicians and central bankers fear that holders of currency could undermine their brave new monetary world of negative…
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has expressed major reservations about cryptocurrencies, warning that due to their use in the purchase of illegal dangerous drugs, crypto is actually killing people “in a fairly direct way.”
During a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Tuesday – his sixth on the forum – Gates discussed various issues, from quantum computing, to how automation will affect society, and the technological advances he’s most looking forward to over the next decade.
Then Redditer Askur1337 posed the question: “What’s your opinion on Crypto Currencies?” The tech billionaire responded with a word of caution, flagging his concerns over both anonymity of cybercurrencies and, more ominously, their role in “causing deaths.”
Because of the anonymity it provides its users, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin – unlike credit cards – can be used to buy fentanyl and other drugs on the dark web, Gates described it as “a rare technology that has caused deaths in a fairly direct way.”
A powerful opioid, fentanyl has been linked to a spike in deaths in the United States’ ongoing opioid epidemic, with users either taking it directly or buying it from dealers who have cut it with heroin.
In January US President Donald Trump signed into law an ‘anti-fentanyl’ bill, called the Interdict Act, in a bipartisan effort to provide extra funding to US customs agents for additional portable chemical screening devices to check travelers, mail and packages for the illegal substance.
Gates didn’t stop there with his criticism of cryptocurrencies. “The main feature of crypto currencies is their anonymity. I don’t think this is a good thing,” he remarked in the Reddit AMA. “The Governments ability to find money…
Russia’s foreign minister has reiterated calls for Washington to allow humanitarian access to parts of southern Syria currently occupied by American troops. The US holds an area of Syrian…
Russia’s Ambassador to the UK told RT that talks have been held with the British about how to save lives in eastern Ghouta. Alexander Yakovenko says the two nations are in “the same boat” when it comes to Syria.
Eastern Ghouta is a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, where fighting continues despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire to allow aid to get in.
Yakovenko told RT: “we discussed what the British could do in practical terms, and what kind of signal they could send, whether it’s to the military opposition or whatever, to the armed people in order to save lives. We need the British on board, but we don’t accept the statements that Russians are guilty for the humanitarian situation.”
The area is also reportedly being used by numerous terrorist groups as a base where they can launch attacks on the capital and other areas in the country.
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According to the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, an estimated 300 civilians would like to leave the neighborhood but were stopped by the militant faction Jaysh al-Islam on Wednesday, which controls a large portion of Ghouta. Civilians gathered near one end of a humanitarian corridor designated by the Syrian forces, but mortar strikes from the militants targeted the corridor, making it unsafe, the center reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson failed to answer questions on Saudi Arabia’s alleged links to Islamist militias battling the Syrian government in Eastern Ghouta. The interview came after the UN-agreed temporary ceasefire was put in place.
Presenter Mishal Husain for BBC Radio 4’s Today program pushed the foreign secretary on reports that British ally Saudi Arabia was “backing” the main militant group in the area. Husain asked: “The Saudis are reportedly backing the most prominent rebel group in Ghouta, Jaish al Islam. Have you talked to the Saudis about that?”
“We certainly do and one of the tragedies of this whole conflict as you will remember…,” Johnson said, before aborting any attempted explanation and simply adding: “To be fair I don’t think the Saudis would concede that they’re involved in military action.”
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is raising a cry of alarm that the “Russians are still coming” and accusing President Donald Trump of doing nothing to defend the upcoming US elections.
Though the US media and political establishment gave Clinton a 98 percent chance to become president in 2016, she lost to Trump – and she has blamed the loss on former FBI Director James Comey, WikiLeaks and “the Russians,” including President Vladimir Putin personally.
“I say this as a former Secretary of State and as an American: the Russians are still coming,” Clinton tweeted on Wednesday. She said that the US intelligence community wants “Trump to act” but he has continued to “ignore and surrender.”
I say this as a former Secretary of State and as an American: the Russians are still coming. Our intelligence professionals are imploring Trump to act. Will he continue to ignore & surrender, or protect our country?https://t.co/Z6uaSCgdF6
Clinton posted a link to a Washington Post article on Tuesday’s testimony by Admiral Mike Rogers, the head of the US Cyber Command and the NSA, to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Rogers said that Trump has not granted him any new authorities or capabilities to attack Russian cyber operations ahead of the midterm elections in November.
“I haven’t been granted any, you know, additional authorities, capacity and capability,” he told Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire).
Having originally followed Clinton’s lead in accusing Russia of outright “hacking” the election, Democrats have since whittled their accusations down to “meddling” and “influencing,” to the point where no one actually knows who did what to whom or when. That has not stopped the US intelligence apparatus and the media from breathlessly speculating about the “Russian threat,” though.
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In addition to blaming Russia for losing the White House race, Clinton has pointed her finger at social media. On Monday, she retweeted a claim that Facebook charged her campaign far more than Trump’s for advertising, adding that something needs to be done about social networks’ impact on US elections.
“We owe it to our democracy to get this right, and fast,” she said.
While diehard Clinton supporters were quick to believe reports that Facebook overcharged her campaign by a factor of 200, one Facebook executive moved quickly to counter such claims, releasing statistics that showed otherwise.
Trump’s campaign “paid slightly higher CPM prices on most days rather than lower as has been reported,” Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth said Tuesday, referring to her costs per thousand (CPM) impressions.
“Prices depend on factors like size of audience and campaign objective. These campaigns had different strategies,” Bosworth added. “Given the recent discussion about pricing we’re putting this out to clear up any confusion.”
Facebook is willing to share more information, but will need permission from the campaigns, Bosworth said.
After some discussion we’ve decided to share the CPM comparison on Trump campaign ads vs. Clinton campaign ads. This chart shows that during general election period, Trump campaign paid slightly higher CPM prices on most days rather than lower as has been reported. pic.twitter.com/u0qgUQ02qM
No-go areas” do exist in Germany, Angela Merkel admitted in an interview, adding that the arrival of “so many refugees” in the country “has raised multiple questions.” RT LIVE…
I distinctly remember looking for my first big city apartment and finding an ad that looked perfect. Beautiful picture, cheap rent, great location. It sounded too good to be true and, sadly, it was.
Just send a check in the mail, and don’t forget to send over your Social Security number, they said. We’ll mail you a key.
Fortunately, I didn’t take the bait. I’ve also managed to dodge the countless “Nigerian royalty” looking to make me rich via e-mail, and the endless robo-calls about lowering my utility bills.
Not everyone is so lucky. If there’s one constant of scams, it’s that given enough opportunities, they’ll get somebody to give up the goods.
Today, that somebody is the United States.
As their W-2s arrive in the mail, U.S. workers are starting to see the minimal impact of the new tax changes passed by Congress late last year. While the budget-busting package was a boon for millionaires, it means next to nothing for ordinary people.
Still, there’s a massive public relations campaign being waged right now by Republican donors backing the Trump tax cuts. Make the rich richer, they say, and we’ll all benefit.
And while you’re at it, they’ve got some swampland in Florida for sale.
Image: Joe Loong / Flickr
The Koch Brothers alone will spend $20 million on ads selling the tax bill. This is a drop in the bucket compared to the $1.4 billion they stand to gain every year in tax breaks. It’s also a tiny fraction of their overall campaign spending on the 2018 midterms elections, which is projected to reach $400 million.
The Kochs have their work cut out for them. A new poll from Politicoshows most workers report seeing no increase in their take home pay after the new tax laws took effect.
This is important.
The whole premise behind adding $1.5 trillion to the debt, giving massive handouts to the ultra-wealthy, and giving a tax break to the nation’s most profitable corporations was that working folks would also get a bit of cash.
Turns out, they’re not seeing that money. But the PR push is having an impact.
While majority of the American people never supported the bill, most polls have shown an uptick in support since December. The most recent poll — from GBA Strategies — found that 44 percent of voters oppose the law, compared to just 40 percent who support it.
The GBA study had another interesting finding: Voters are incredibly susceptible to messaging on this issue. That’s why the GOP donor class is spending unprecedented sums on ads.
The tax law is also getting a boost from corporations’ public relations departments, who are making splashy announcements about bonuses for their workers.
Many of those bonuses, it turns out, are being doled out to garner political support for the tax bill, not for the benefit of the business or as a thank you to workers. They’re also supposed to distract the public from the massive onslaught of layoffs that came in the wake of the tax cuts — from Walmart to Coca-Cola to Comcast and many more.
The Trump tax cuts are a scam, benefiting the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. If you happened to find yourself caught up in the scam, don’t blame yourself. The sales pitch was mighty impressive.
German Left Party leader backs new attack on immigrants
By
Christoph Vandreier
28 February 2018
On Saturday, Left Party parliamentary leader Sahra Wagenknecht defended the decision of Essen Tafel to limit its food handouts to Germans. This puts her in the front ranks of the anti-refugee campaign that blames the social crisis in Germany on impoverished foreigners.
The Essen branch of the volunteer aid organization Tafel, which collects leftover food and distributes it to the needy, announced in December that it would register only German citizens at its issuing offices. The decision was implemented on January 10.
The chairman of Essen Tafel, Jörg Sartor, justified the discriminatory decision on openly xenophobic grounds. German pensioners were avoiding coming to get the handouts because foreigners had not behaved properly, he claimed. There was a “taker gene” among the Syrians and Russian Germans, Sartor told newsweekly Der Spiegel. Some would jostle and push, he said, and they lacked “a culture of queuing.”
While other branches of the Tafel organisation and representatives of many other relief organizations were outraged by the discrimination in Essen, a nasty campaign was started by the media and political circles to defend the preferential treatment being shown to those in need who have a German passport. The Left Party has now taken the lead in this xenophobic campaign.
In an interview with broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, Wagenknecht described the criticism of the decision in Essen, much of which had come from Tafel members, as a “moralized debate” that was “unduly hypocritical.” Although no one should starve, she said, certain groups were in a special position. “I would prefer,” she declared, “that people who live in Germany, some of whom have…
Paul Joseph Watson PrisonPlanet.com February 28, 2018
Muslims will outbreed Europeans and conquer the continent, according to top Italian psychiatrist and criminologist Alessandro Meluzzi.
During a radio interview, Meluzzi said, “The populations who have come to Italy, migrants who are mostly from Islamic North Africa, have a fertility rate that’s between 5 and 6 kids per couple, while Italians have 1.2 kids per couple. The math is quickly done. I mean, it’s clear as day!”
“As long as they’re a tiny minority, they enjoy our very own rights; then they conquer us using those same rights, and they’ll take over our laws and occupy,” he added.
Meluzzi went on to emphasize how basic liberties and protections for women and homosexuals don’t exist in Islamic countries, and that these values would be decimated by the new arrivals.
The criminologist also slammed those who are trying to conceal this reality “in the name of dimwitted, politically correct do-goodism.”
As we reported back in 2015, Imam Sheikh Muhammad Ayed gave a speech at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during which he asserted that Muslims should use the migrant crisis to breed with European citizens and “conquer their countries”.
“Europe has become old and decrepit and needs human reinforcement….they are not motivated by compassion for the Levant, its people and its refugees,” said Ayed, adding, “Soon, we will trample them underfoot, Allah willing.”
“Throughout Europe, all the hearts are enthused with hatred toward Muslims. They wish that we were dead, but they have lost their fertility, so they look for fertility in our midst,” he added.
“We will give them fertility! We will breed children with them, because we shall conquer their countries!”
Concerns over mass immigration are likely to result in a conservative coalition victory in this…
Police disrupted a peaceful demonstration held by Catholic groups and nuns in support of the ‘Dream Act’ inside the Capitol Building in Washington DC. COURTESY: RT’s RUPTLY video agency,…
A UK farming family has been left distraught after suffering the theft of 1 million bees – believed to be the biggest insect-related heist in history.
Brackley business Beekeeper Honey, run by the Manton family, found 40 of its hives had been stolen on Saturday. Each hive holds roughly 25,000 bees each, and they are believed to have been taken between February 17 and February 24.
Beekeeper Lara Manton was in charge of the stolen bees when the honey-making insects went missing. She said this time of year the Manton family carry out regular checks to ensure the hives are not damaged due to the adverse weather. It was during one of their routine checks that they discovered their hives had seemingly evaporated into thin air.
“They were in a field between Fringford and Bicester, which you can’t see from the road. So it is weird, someone must have scouted them out or knew they were there. That’s what worries us.”
As it happens, moving the buzzing boxes would have been quite a feat – with each weighing about 20kg (44lb). “If you have the capability of moving 40 hives, each weighing 20kg, it is quite an operation. It is shocking,” Manton said. A mere eight hives were left behind.
Here’s a video of them in November. We believe they were stolen in the last 2 weeks. If you see any hives appearing like this near you then let me know. it’s a bitter blow that’s for sure 😥 pic.twitter.com/t6zo0tFksF
Although the honey money may now have dried up for the Mantons, they said they won’t let the theft knock them down. The family do worry, however, that robberies such as theirs will become commonplace.
“For us it is really sad but it is not going to shut down our business,” she said. “But for others that could be half of their whole operation. I was meant to manage these bees for my first season, so they were my bees which is really sad.”
The colonies left behind – no straps! Only a few weeks ago I was advised to buy straps to stop wind blowing lids off! Wish I took them off now!!! pic.twitter.com/rF8QEHVwAP
Manton told the Oxford Mail that moving the beehives may have angered the bees. As an added bonus to a million angry bees, the colonies are expected to grow in the coming months… and if they remain in the hives until May, they could be swarming around Oxfordshire. That’s a frightening thought.
We are currently investigating the theft of 40 colonies of Bees. The bees and hives were stolen between 01/02 and 24/02 from a location off the A4421 near Fringford. Please call 101 if you witnessed anything. #BBKAA#Beefarmers
White House communications director Hope Hicks is resigning. This comes a day after she testified before the House Intelligence Committee that she had told “white lies” on the job, according to media citing inside sources.
“There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump. I wish the president and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country,” Hicks said in a statement released by the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
According to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Hicks had made plans for her departure prior to her marathon testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. The testimony took place behind closed doors. Hicks reportedly admitted to telling “white lies” to the media on behalf of the Trump campaign and the administration, but said she never lied to investigators in the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to the New York Times.
“Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years,” President Donald Trump said. “I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future.”
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Hicks, 29, was a trusted aide to the Trump family, having initially worked as a public relations specialist for Ivanka Trump’s clothing line, before accepting the job of communications chief for Trump’s presidential campaign. She became the White House communications director in August, after a shake-up that brought General John Kelly in as chief of staff.
“She has served her country with great distinction. To say that she will be missed, is an understatement,” Kelly said in a statement on Wednesday, describing Hicks as “strategic, poised and wise beyond her years.”
Hicks was thrust into the spotlight last month when she was spotted in the company of White House staff secretary Rob Porter and tabloids speculated about their relationship. Porter resigned on February 7, following revelations that his security clearance was being held up due to accusations of domestic violence by two ex-wives. The fallout over security clearances reportedly led Kelly to downgrade the top-secret access of Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Hicks was the longest-serving communications director in the Trump administration, with almost 200 days on the job. Her predecessor, Anthony Scaramucci, was ousted after only 10 days. Former press secretary Sean Spicer was acting director for two periods during 2017, before the appointment and after the resignation of Mike Dubke.
The White House did not specify Hicks’ departure date, except to say it would be “in the next few weeks.” There has been no word on who would replace her.
Boosting hopes for a strict EU-wide ban on the pesticides, a new report by the European Union’s food safety watchdog confirms that neonicotinoids, also known as neonics, pose a threat to bees.
The report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which upates its assessment from 2013, and draws from over 1,500 studies, looks at the impacts of three specific neonicotinoids—clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam—on honeybees and wild bees.
“The availability of such a substantial amount of data as well as the guidance has enabled us to produce very detailed conclusions,” said Jose Tarazona, head of EFSA’s pesticides unit.
“We have been playing Russian Roulette with the future of our bees for far too long. EU member states must now support a tougher ban on all outdoor use of these three bee-harming chemicals—a move that is fully justified by this report.” —Sandra Bell, Friends of the Earth Europe
“There is variability in the conclusions, due to factors such as the bee species, the intended use of the pesticide, and the route of exposure. Some low risks have been identified, but overall the risk to the three types of bees we have assessed is confirmed,” he said.
The Independentnotes that there “is currently a ban on neonicotinoid use on flowering crops in the EU. However, the new report suggests this is not sufficient, as the use of these chemicals in any outdoor setting poses a high risk to bees.”
Indeed, said Dave Goulson, professor of biology at the University of Sussex, and author of books included A Buzz in the Meadow, “Since 2013, it has become clear that neonicotinoids do not only pose a risk to bees when used on flowering crops. They can pose a risk to bees via contamination of follow-on crops (judged to pose a high risk to honeybees and bumblebees) and via contamination of wildflowers in field margins (also judged to pose a high risk to honeybees and bumblebees).”
The EU has a chance soon to broaden the ban, as Reutersnotes:
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EU nations will discuss a European Commission proposal to ban three neonicotinoids next month in the Plant Animal Food and Feed Standing Committee.
“This is strengthening the scientific basis for the Commission’s proposal to ban outdoor use of the three neonicotinoids,” a spokeswoman for the EU executive said.
According to the Guardian, the new findings make “it highly likely that the neonicotinoid pesticides will be banned from all fields across the EU” when that vote happens.
Unsurprisingly, EFSA’s new report drew reactions from numerous conservation organizations.
Friends of the Earth Europe bee campaigner Sandra Bell, for one, said that the “long-awaited report highlights yet again the huge threat these neonicotinoid pesticides pose to our bees. We have been playing Russian Roulette with the future of our bees for far too long. EU member states must now support a tougher ban on all outdoor use of these three bee-harming chemicals—a move that is fully justified by this report.”
The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) weighed in as well, saying, “until there is convincing independent scientific evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides are not harmful to honey bees, we will support the continuation of the EU moratorium on their use.”
“While it is good news that the regulators have definitively concluded that neonicotinoids pose a high risk,” added Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife, “it is a tragedy that our bees, moths, butterflies, and flies have been hammered by these toxins for over 15 years, causing severe declines in wild pollinators and the pollination services they undertake. Not only should EU countries now ban their use entirely, they should also urgently approve and implement EFSA’s bee risk assessment process so that the blunder is not repeated.”
Another step to take, said FOE’s Bell, is a total shift in widespread agricultural practices.
“Any ban on these damaging pesticides must go hand in hand with a fundamental reform of agriculture policy to help farmers work in harmony with nature —not against it. A major shift to agroecology is needed to allow nature to thrive.”
Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the U.S.-based Center for Biological Diversity, took to Twitter to note that EU’s science science-based evaluation comes as “the U.S. EPA refuses to do anything but the bidding of pesticide companies.”
A US-based activist’s post, ostensibly meant to “raise awareness” about Syrian civilians, turned out to be a complete fabrication. Twitterati found the photos he used were actually from…
We’ve been reporting on how unpaid parking and automated traffic camera tickets can quickly spiral out of control for Chicago’s working poor, and particularly for African Americans.
Thousands of drivers file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy each year to cope with ticket debt, getting a chance to lift license suspensions or to protect their vehicles from the city’s boot list.
But bankruptcy often leaves drivers in worse financial shape.
Here are the stories of some drivers who have struggled with the consequences of their unpaid tickets. Some managed to pay off their debts; others are now in bankruptcy court.
By sharing these stories, we hope to start a conversation about how Chicago’s ticketing and debt collection affect people’s lives. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Rosalva Nava
Rosalva Nava, 50, said she was barred from taking a job at Chicago Public Schools because of unpaid tickets. The job: recess monitor at her children’s school.
Nava owed more than $5,000 in unpaid tickets that dated to the mid-1990s, which is when her driver’s license was suspended. She found ways to survive for more than a decade without it — sometimes driving illegally, but more often relying on friends, family and public transportation to get around.
Over the years, she saw commercials for bankruptcy firms on TV. But she never went that route.
“I considered filing for bankruptcy, but I was too chicken,” she said. “My goal is to buy a house, and I didn’t want to damage my record.”
A few years ago, she finally paid off her ticket debt using tax refunds.
“I think I would have … paid off my tickets a long time ago and been more economically secure if I’d gotten the job (at my son’s school) when I had the opportunity,” she said.
Angelo Johnson
Angelo Johnson, 23, is a married father of an infant son — with another child coming on the way. He works as a food delivery driver, a…
There were plenty of opportunities – more honorable ones – over the past decade to shut the Holy Land’s major Christian pilgrimage sites in protest
It was a protest long overdue – and one that produced rapid results.
On Sunday, for the first time in living memory, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre slammed shut its doors to worshippers and tourists. In justifying the closure of the site where it is believed Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, Church leaders accused Israel of launching a “systematic and unprecedented attack against Christians in the Holy Land”.
By Wednesday the church had reopened after Israel, bombarded with bad publicity, appeared to climb down.
Shuttering the church had threatened economic damage too. More than a quarter of Israel’s nearly 4 million visitors each year are Christian pilgrims. They and many other tourists come primarily to follow in the footsteps of Jesus – and the Holy Sepulchre is top of their sightseeing list.
The churches are right that the survival of a meaningful Palestinian Christian presence in the Holy Land hangs in the balance. Christians now comprise just 10 per cent of the large Palestinian minority in Israel – or about 2 per cent of Israel’s total population.
In the Palestinian territories, which are under belligerent Israeli occupation, Christian numbers have similarly plummeted.
But however serious the problem, the joint statement from Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian…
Opposes measure to increase Fed role in background checks
Steve Watson Prison Planet.com February 28, 2018
In an appearance on CNN Tuesday, GOP Senator John N. Kennedy (R., La.) railed against stricter gun control provisions, saying that America needs ‘idiot control’ rather than gun control.
CNN host John Berman questioned Kennedy regarding his stated opposition to legislation being considered in the Senate that would give federal agencies greater access to state records, in order to better determine the eligibility of a person to buy firearms.
The bill would offer greater federal funding to state agencies that comply, while withholding it from those that don’t.
“I don’t think we need more gun control laws,” Kennedy said.
“Not a single one?” Berman asked.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
“No,” Kennedy declared. “I think we need more idiot control.”
When Berman asked Kennedy to expand on what he meant by the term ‘idiot’, the Senator stated that he was referring to violent criminals like the shooter in Parkland.
Kennedy said he was not referring to anyone with a mental illness, and that he may have “misused” the term in that context.
Kennedy then stated that violent criminals are too often assumed to be mentally ill when many are just plain “evil.”
The Senator noted that the mental stability of the Parkland shooter has not been properly determined at this stage.
“I don’t know that, so I will call him an idiot,” Kennedy said.
This article was posted: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 10:22 am
Watch footage of Angolan soldiers congratulating Omsk citizens on Defender of the Fatherland Day with an UNUSUAL military march! Courtesy: www.omskzdes.ru RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air …
Theresa May’s Brexit plans have again been thrown into crisis after the EU released its plans to include Northern Ireland in a future customs union. Sinn Féin has endorsed the plan, warning against “the Tory-DUP wrecking-agenda.”
The European Commission’s plan published Wednesday contravenes Prime Minister May’s stance that post-Brexit, Northern Ireland will be under the same rules and regulations as the rest of the UK and will have to leave the EU’s customs union.
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However, politicians in Ireland have slammed their UK counterparts, accusing the government of being reckless over its stance on the Irish-Northern Irish border. In a statement released following the publication Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD (Member of the Irish Parliament) said the UK government’s Brexit agenda “cannot prevail.”
TD McDonald made the comments, welcoming the recognition contained within the EU draft agreement for the need for special arrangements for the North, including remaining within the Customs Union. Speaking directly to An Taoiseach at Leaders’ Questions today, Ms. McDonald said: “As you know, the British Government and the Brexiteers engaged in the Brexit debate with zero regard for the impact on Ireland.”
“No concern for our economy. No concern for the rights of our people. No concern for the peace process. Now they want to conclude their debate and make their exit by putting the Good Friday Agreement through the shredder. The Tory-DUP axis is satisfied to treat the welfare of the people of this island as collateral damage so long as they achieve their ‘little Englander’ vision for Brexit.”
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“Their arrogance is best highlighted by their rejection of vote of the people of the North to remain in European Union and most recently crystallized by Boris Johnson’s juvenile and dangerous commentary. That can’t be allowed to happen. The Tory-DUP wrecking-agenda cannot prevail.”
Northern Ireland has the only UK land border with the EU since the neighbouring Republic of Ireland is a member state. Brussels has now said the whole of Ireland must be effectively kept in the single market and customs union.
The European Commission has published a 120-page draft withdrawal agreement that stated that the territory of Northern Ireland would be considered part of the EU’s customs territory under the EU Brexit vision, with checks required on goods coming in from the rest of the UK. In order for this to happen, single market legislation will also apply.
“The territory of Northern Ireland… shall be considered to be part of the customs territory of the Union,” it reads. In turn, May used her speech in Prime Minister’s Question to reject the plan. The prime minister added that “no UK prime minister could ever agree” to this.
“The draft legal text the commission have published would, if implemented, undermine the UK common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, and no UK prime minister could ever agree to it,” she said. Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the document contained “concrete and realistic solutions” on how to avoid a hard border once the UK leaves the EU’s customs union.
He called on May to offer something different – if she can. Currently, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is propping up Theresa May’s government, yet one false move could see their support withdrawn. The Prime Minister will make a speech at Chequers on Thursday, where she will address Britain and EU ministers, many of whom hope she will make clear what Britain wants.
A Facebook executive has published details on how much US presidential election candidates paid to reach potential voters on the social media platform in 2016. Critics say Trump was rewarded for provocative and divisive content.
Andrew Bosworth, the executive in charge of ads during the 2016 election, posted a chart to his Twitter feed Tuesday. “After some discussion we’ve decided to share the CPM comparison on Trump campaign ads vs. Clinton campaign ads,” Bosworth wrote.
After some discussion we’ve decided to share the CPM comparison on Trump campaign ads vs. Clinton campaign ads. This chart shows that during general election period, Trump campaign paid slightly higher CPM prices on most days rather than lower as has been reported. pic.twitter.com/u0qgUQ02qM
CPM refers to the cost per thousand impressions and it is how price is typically measured for digital ad campaigns. “This chart shows that during [the] general election period, [the] Trump campaign paid slightly higher CPM prices on most days rather than lower as has been reported,” he added.
Bosworth’s chart covers the period from June 21 to November 8, 2016. During that time, President Donald Trump’s CPM rate appears at times dramatically higher than former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s. Earlier this month, a Wired report suggested that Trump got a better deal on Facebook ads because his page drove more interactions, which, in turn, drove down the cost. Critics of the social media giant feared that the platform’s algorithms rewarded Trump for his more provocative and divisive content. However, the chart published by Bosworth seems to show this was not the case.
Prices depend on factors like size of audience and campaign objective. These campaigns had different strategies. Given the recent discussion about pricing we’re putting this out to clear up any confusion.
Former Trump campaign advisor Brad Parscale appeared to confirm the findings of the Wired report, tweeting that then-candidate Trump had “CPMs that were pennies in some cases,” adding that Trump had been the “perfect candidate for Facebook.”
I bet we were 100x to 200x her. We had CPMs that were pennies in some cases. This is why @realDonaldTrump was a perfect candidate for FaceBook.
That message was then picked up by TechCrunch contributor Kim-Mai Cutler, and her tweet was shared by Clinton, who cited the report as the reason why social media should be stringently regulated during election periods.
I can’t believe this tweet isn’t going viral. Do people not really care that Facebook may have systematically charged the Clinton campaign an order of magnitude or two more than it was charging Trump to reach American voters? (Which is not allowed in other mediums by law.) https://t.co/S2OgxfgcGq
We should all care about how social media platforms play a part in our democratic process. Because unless it’s addressed it will happen again. The midterms are in 8 months. We owe it to our democracy to get this right, and fast. https://t.co/aM3pRrZW4J
Responding to the Bosworth tweets, another Wired report claims the Facebook executive’s graphic failed to shed light on whether Trump’s sensationalist ads had any effect on CPMs, as it contained no information about the content of ads on the charted days. For his part, Bosworth claims that Facebook wants to reveal more information about campaign spending on the platform, but he needs the campaigns’ permission to do so.
US President Donald Trump accuses Republicans of being “afraid of the NRA” amid revival of gun violence debate in the country.
He made the comment in an ongoing meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the White House.
Trump asked Republican Senators Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin if they included raising the age limit for buying guns in a bill they co-sponsored.
“We didn’t address that, Mr. President,” Toomey said.
“You know why? Because you’re afraid of the NRA,” responded the president with a chuckle. “It’s a big issue right now. A lot of people are talking about it.”
“A lot of people are afraid of that issue — raising the age for that weapon to 21.”
The Belgian government is facing backlash over plans to make it easier for police to raid homes housing refugees. The draft bill being considered would let officers search private homes suspected…
The Trump administration is pursuing a deal to sell nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia despite proliferation risk, underscoring that Washington is willing to compromise any type of universal agreement, says an American writer and academic.
“The Unites States is interested in selling things. The oligarchs have an interest in the big corporations like Westinghouse which sell nuclear reactors. They even have interest selling these things all over the world without any regard to other principles,” said E. Michael Jones, the current editor of Culture Wars, an online news magazine.
“In order for the United States to claim some type of universal right to rule the world, it has to claim that it is based on some type of set of universal principles. Well, this proves that this claim is nothing but pure hypocrisy,” Jones said in a phone interview with Press TV on Wednesday.
“The Unites States is willing to do business, it wants to make money. It is…
Sanders, Lee and Murphy to Introduce Yemen War Powers Resolution: Live Stream at 4:30pm EST
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) will introduce Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m. a bipartisan joint resolution to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen pursuant to the War Powers Resolution. The bill will force the first-ever vote in the Senate to withdraw U.S. armed forces from an unauthorized war.
Paul Joseph Watson PrisonPlanet.com February 28, 2018
Some residents were “horrified” after over a hundred “It’s Okay to be White” signs were plastered all over Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
The signs have been popping up in different places for the last three weeks, with Borough Manager Shane Pepe calling them a “distasteful” act of “vandalism”.
“I mean, we’re surrounded by white privilege nowadays, it’s just a fact…so it’s completely racist to say ‘it’s OK to be white’,” Joshua Westbrook told WFMZ.
Another resident said they were “horrified” by the signs.
At least 100 have been torn down, but they just pop up again the next day. Police are now working with residents to try to track down the culprits.
“As fast as they are getting torn down, someone is putting them back up the next day,” states a post on the Emmaus Borough Facebook page.
“If you see someone that is NOT a Borough worker doing something at one of our signs, please call the police.”
Confusingly, the post also invites residents to tear them down, which contradicts with the message of reporting people near the signs who aren’t Borough workers.
The entire “It’s Okay to be White” stunt was originated by members of the 4chan messaging board last year.
The signs were plastered around numerous universities and schools across America and Canada, leading one high school principal to claim the scheme was, “part of a concerted national campaign to foment racial and political tension in our school and community.”
The original goal of the campaign was to trigger hysterical overreactions to emphasize how anti-white racism has been normalized in culture, an objective that has been achieved over and over again.
The Edmonton Metro afforded the issue front page coverage last year, warning, “There is a targeted approach to this.”
Yemen has become the world’s largest man-made humanitarian crisis, according to the UN special envoy for Yemen. More than 22 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid and more than…
The “good guy with a gun” argument got another real world test during the Parkland, Florida school shooting — and it failed. An armed school deputy on the scene failed to engage the shooter, instead hiding outside with others escaping the violence.
This week in OtherWords, Mitchell Zimmerman says that’s not surprising. Expecting school security guards to die in the line of duty is no real answer for school shootings — and neither is expecting teachers or coaches to engage students in deadly shootouts. Khalil Bendib satirizes that idea, too.
The real answer, he says, is to get serious about restricting these weapons of war.
Also this week, Josh Hoxie reports on the effort to scam working Americans into supporting the Trump tax cuts. Jill Richardson explains what’s wrong with those nasty complaints about “chain migration.” And Jim Hightower argues there’s a deeper agenda behind the administration’s push to substitute “food boxes” for real food aid.
Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org
The Tax Scam Is Starting to Sink In / Josh Hoxie While billionaires fund a PR push for the tax law, most ordinary workers report seeing no increase in their take-home pay.
A ‘Good Guy With a Gun’ Isn’t Enough / Mitchell Zimmerman More people need to treat gun control as the “do or die” issue it is — not make teachers engage in shoot-outs with students.
‘Chain Migration’ Is a Nasty Canard / Jill Richardson Family reunification is the best immigrant support system there is — and it doesn’t even increase overall migration,
A Food Stamp Indignity Worthy of Dickens / Jim Hightower Behind the White House’s demeaning “food box” idea is a plan to eliminate food aid for poor people completely.
Facebook has not found any indications that Russia interfered in the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union referendum.
Experts from the social media giant did not find any evidence of active advertising initiated by Russian accounts during the Brexit vote.
A letter from Simon Milner, Facebook’s director of policy in the UK, to Conservative MP Damian Collins, who heads the parliamentary committee on digital culture, media and sport, said investigators failed to find a shred of evidence that Russia tried to influence the referendum.
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“The investigative team did not find additional and coordinated Russian-linked accounts or pages supplying advertising in the UK within the framework of the referendum on the EU during the relevant period, in addition to the minimal activity that we reported earlier,” Milner’s letter reads.
A previous investigation by Youtube also found no evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit campaign.
Both of the companies carried out the probes in the aftermath of a report from PR firm 89up, which found that Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik were a major influence on the outcome of the referendum.
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A teacher has been arrested after reports of shots fired at a Dalton, Georgia high school. No children were injured or were in any danger, police said.
Police responded to reports of shots fired shortly after noon on Wednesday. The Dalton Police Department said the suspect was barricaded inside a classroom. The teacher was arrested around 12:30 local time, the police said on twitter.
There is a barricaded subject in a classroom. It is believed to be a teacher.
Police have yet to release the suspect’s identity or any information on what might have caused the incident.
The only injury reported was one student who “sustained an ankle injury running inside the school during the evacuation,” the Dalton PD said.
Dalton is a community of around 35,000 residents in northwestern Georgia, about 35 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The incident comes two weeks after a former student opened fire at a Parkland, Florida high school, killing 17 students and faculty and wound 14 more. Democrats have pointed to the shooting as the reason for stricter gun control laws, while President Donald Trump suggested improving school security by allowing trained teachers to carry weapons.
US President Donald Trump’s former election campaign chairman Paul Manafort has plead not guilty to new charges he acted as an unregistered foreign agent and directed an international money-laundering conspiracy.
Manafort appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC,on Wednesday and entered a formal plea of not guilty to a second indictment brought against him by prosecutors working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Mueller, a former FBI director, has been appointed as the Justice Department’s special counsel to investigate the Trump campaign’s alleged ties with Russia and whether Trump or his associates colluded with Moscow.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence. His former colleague and longtime business associate Rick Gates is facing the same charges.
During the hearing, Judge Amy Berman Jackson set a September 17 trial date for Manafort and reprimanded him for making a public statement last week…
State-of-the-art technologies are helping doctors at a top research center in Moscow to treat some of the deadliest forms of cancer. Recovery time is down to a fraction of what would be required…
If we accept to take a step back, we notice that the different conflicts which have bloodied the Greater Middle East for the last sixteen years, from Afghanistan to Libya, have not been a succession of civil wars, but the application of regional strategies. Thierry Meyssan reminds us of the objectives and the tactics of these wars since the « Arab Springs » and observes the preparation of those to come.
At the end of 2010, a series of wars began, initially presented as popular uprisings. Successively, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen were swept under by the « Arab Spring », a reprise of the « Great Arab Revolt » of 1915, initiated by Lawrence of Arabia – with the difference that this time they would not be relying on the support of the Wahhabites, but the Muslim Brotherhood.
All these events had been carefully planned by the United Kingdom from 2004, as revealed by the internal documents of the Foreign Office leaked by the British whistle-blower Derek Pasquill [1]. With the exception of the bombing of Tripoli (Libya), in August 2011, they were born not only of the non-violent destabilisation techniques of Gene Sharp [2], but also of William S. Lind’s « 4th Generation War » [3].
Implemented by the US armies, the British project of the « Arab Spring » overlapped with that of the United States military – the destruction of societies and states at the regional level, as formulated by Admiral Arthur Cebrowski, popularised by Thomas Barnett [4], and illustrated by Ralph Peters [5].
The events seemed to calm down in the second quarter of 2012, so that on 31 June in Geneva, the United States and Russia agreed to a new distribution of the Middle East.
However, the United States did not honour their signature. A second war…
A young Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland shooter, posted the image shown (above left) on his Instagram account. The date is unknown. The orange tip on the end of the gun signifies he is holding an “air-soft” gun that fires BB-like, spherical projectiles that are typically made of plastic. American youth are introduced to these guns at an early age. The lethal weapon Cruz is holding shoots a projectile at 500 feet per second.
The term “air soft” is concocted by the wizards of Madison Avenue who represent the arms industry. The term conveys the idea that these guns are harmless. Remember Ralphie in “Christmas Story”? “You’ll shoot your eye out kid!” The BB gun Ralphie got for Christmas, The Daisy Red Ryder, shoots BB’s at 350 feet per second.
Airsoft guns represent the starter drug of choice for the American arms industry. It has long been the strategy of this industry and its bankrollers at the Pentagon to wrap as many young fingers around as many triggers as possible – whether those triggers are virtual or real. The intoxicating effects of firearms provide the military a way to exploit the powerful, visceral connection to a child’s soul. In this regard, Nikolas Cruz was the victim of a malicious system.
Because airsoft guns look a lot like the real thing – and are dangerous in their own right – laws exist that affect their manufacture, purchase, and ownership. Find Law reports that individuals in the U.S. must be 18 years of age or older to purchase an airsoft gun. On the other hand, airsoft guns are not classified as firearms and are legal for use by all ages under federal law. New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco outlaw airsoft guns entirely.
National data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on non-powder gun injuries illustrates the inherent danger of these weapons. Between 2001 and 2011, non-powder guns injured 209,981 people nationwide, including 145,423 children age 19 or younger, and the numbers are rapidly climbing. Between 2007 and 2009 in Texas alone, 124 people (including 23 children under the age of 18) were killed in accidents involving BB guns, pellet guns, and other non-powder guns.
Cruz’s airsoft pistol is available on Amazon for $50. Similar, but much more powerful CO2-propelled handguns are available for sale for the use by children through the congressionally established Civilian Marksmanship Program, CMP.
The image at the top right is an M1911 US Army pistol, a cherished collector’s item. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces for 75 years, from 1911 to 1986. The weapons are revered by millions. They’re reliable. They’ll kill the enemy, and they’re American-made. Today, many American youth are enamored by these semi-automatic handguns, the way Ralphie was enthralled by his BB gun.
American “Doughboys” display their M1911’s during WWI.
All that love for the M1911 pistol led the Trump administration to OK the release of the weaponry from the Army’s ammunition depot in Anniston, Alabama to the CMP, also based in Anniston. The semiautomatic handguns are to be sold to the American public. The US stands alone as the only nation that offers its warehoused military weapons for sale to the public. Prudent nations destroy antiquated guns. The CMP has been recirculating used rifles to the public since 1903, but this is the first time the agency will be selling handguns. Soon, youth like Cruz will be allowed to purchase these extraordinarily lethal, semi-automatic weapons through the quasi-governmental CMP.
Although President Obama authorized the sale of the M1911 when he approved his last National Defense Authorization Act two years ago, his administration held up the Army’s actual shipment of the handguns to the CMP. Obama’s Justice Department published a paper, obtained by the Huffington Post, saying the guns would eventually end up arming criminals. The Obama era DOJ argued, “The Army is concerned about loss of accountability of weapons after transfer to CMP; expanding the scope of CMP’s mission to include handguns; and the potential negative impacts on public safety from the large amount of semi-automatic and concealable pistols that will be released for public purchase.” The Army cited DOJ statistics that is has tracked an average of nearly 1,800 of these handguns being used in crimes every year over the last decade, including a significant number of those guns that were originally military surplus.
The Department of Justice under Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been silent on the issue.
The Army’s initial cache of 100,000 of these handguns could net the CMP more than $50 million. Congress has been largely silent for the past twenty years regarding CMP weapons sales, a testament to the lobbying fire-power of the NRA.
In his statement to the US House Armed Services Committee, General Joseph Votel elaborated on key military challenges to the US in the Middle East.
The statement, entitled “Terrorism and Iran: Defense Challenges in the Middle East,”by General Votel covers not only Iran, but also Russia’s impact on US operations. Specifically, the US general claims that the growing number of Russian surface-to-air missile systems in the region threatens their “ability to dominate the airspace.” According to him, Russia is allegedly using the conflict in Syria to test new weapons and tactics “with little regard for collateral damage or civilian casualties.”
The general fails to mention Russia’s contribution to defeating the Daesh (banned in Russia) and its diplomatic efforts, which have resulted in dialogs between various warring groups in Syria. Votel branded Russia’s role as being both an “arsonist and firefighter,” claiming that Russia is “fueling the conflict” between Damascus, the YPG and Turkey, while also seeking to serve as a mediator in their negotiations. However, the US general didn’t elaborate on what Russia’s motives for doing so would be.
Votel went on to note the significant influence Russia has on states in Central Asia, which can possibly limit US military capabilities in Afghanistan, as their operations depend on logistical support from those countries.
Pagans are being sought for UK prisons to ensure the needs of Druid and Wiccan detainees are met. The Ministry of Justice is looking to provide for Polytheistic prisoners who currently have no recourse to their religious needs.
Experienced practitioners of what is said to be one of the world’s oldest religion are wanted to “act as faith advisor in the establishment providing advice, pastoral care and spiritual welfare to prisoners, staff and their families as requested,” according to the advert.
Prisoners have the right to see a chaplain of their faith for one hour per week. And, it wouldn’t be right to deny the Pagans, would it? The person selected to “provide for the religious care of prisoners and staff in the Pagan faith tradition” is set to be paid £29,176 (US$40,000) pro rata.
The Ministry of Justice recognizes Paganism, including Wicca, Druidry and Odinism, as a religion and has guidance for prison staff and management on how to cater for Pagan prisoners. The job description on the government website asks for incumbents who can work in the Isle of Wight and in Winchester, Styal, Hindley, Manchester, and Risley, and in Erlestoke and Guys Marsh.
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However, the right candidate must possess “the confidence and expertise to lead open ritual, officiate in Rites of Passage, and run workshops for mixed Pagan traditions within the prison system.” Ministry of Justice figures show there are 1,605 prisoners with faith outside of the major religions. There are around 40 prison chaplains whose faith is “unknown” working in the prison system.
Odinists, who worship Germanic and Nordic gods, are delivered private sermons in prison. Ralph Harrison, director of the Odinist Fellowship, told the Daily Telegraph his organization deals with around 12 individuals. However, he thinks the job ad is too vague.
“There is a tendency to lump together historic pagan beliefs with modern traditions and witchcraft-based beliefs, which obviously will help simplify things for the prison services, but is not really in keeping with our religious outlook.
“We do offer a limited chaplaincy service, or a support service, for a small number of Odinists who are in prison or who have become Odinists while in prison. We have concentrated on making sure that they have Odinist literature, especially the Eddas, which are equivalent to the Bible or the Koran which are made available to Christian or Muslim prisoners and are not always available in prisons to Odinists.”
Chaplains inside prisons need incense, pentagram necklaces, crystals, a chalice and a flexible twig for a wand to work. Prisons are currently understaffed and are being subjected to funding cuts.
A spokesman for Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service said: “We recognize the importance of faith and the positive impact that it can have on the lives of offenders, which is why there are multi-faith chaplaincy teams in every prison.”
The Broward County Sheriff Office in Florida is facing a total of 66 misconduct investigations, it has been revealed, while its sheriff faces widespread condemnation for poorly handling the Parkland school shooting.
With the dust not yet settled on the recent attack, Sheriff Scott Israel claims he has demonstrated “amazing leadership” throughout his tenure at Broward County. The string of accusations aimed at him and his colleagues over the last six years tells a different story and has left many suggesting that the department’s failures are not limited to their handling of the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks ago.
The list includes accusations that Israel’s deputies and other employees are responsible for drug-trafficking, armed kidnapping, falsifying records, battery, assault and more.
One of the investigations in question is the shooting of Jermaine McBean, an African-American IT engineer who was killed by officers in 2013 when they received a call saying he was walking around with a gun. It later transpired that the weapon resting on his shoulders was an unloaded air-rifle that he bought that afternoon. Two years later, photographs of the victim revealed that McBean had been wearing headphones when he was shot, which explained why he did not react to warnings from police. At the time of the incident, however, those same headphones were said to have been found in the victim’s pockets, which has lead to suspicions of an attempted cover-up.
The details outlining the broader failures by the Sheriff’s Department have been brought to light by David Schoen, the attorney representing McBean’s family, who accuses Israel of trying to shift blame, saying “the buck never stops with him.”
Court records filed against Sheriff Israel by Schoen reveal the extent of the accusations being made.
Approximately 66 BSO (Broward Sheriff’s Office) deputies and other employees, including supervisory personnel were arrested for, charged with, and/or convicted of crimes that run the gamut from Armed Kidnapping, to Battery, Assault, Falsifying records, Official Misconduct, Narcotics trafficking, and other crimes involving dishonesty and violence in the years immediately proceeding [sic] 2013 when Jermaine was killed. Most of the offenses on the list occurred in the years 2012-2013.
Schoen goes on to outline that the cases are often resolved by “guilty pleas resulting in short or no period of incarceration and a chance for the criminal record to be cleared after a period of time.”
The major source of criticism for the embattled sheriff has come in the light of apparent failures following the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14. Israel is accused of not taking responsibility for the fact that his deputies did not attempt to stop the shooter sooner and that they prevented paramedics from treating victims at the scene. There are also concerns that the Sheriff is hiding important information in his refusal to release footage that might shed light on what exactly happened during the shooting.
It has also been demonstrated that his department received no less than 23 calls relating to the possibility that the shooter was a risk to the community, two of which referred specifically to his intention to attack a school.
Furthermore, accusations of racism at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office are emerging on Twitter as users point to news stories in the past where it had been alleged that the department was using women to entrap black men into committing crimes and that deputies had been asked to wear ski-masks and disrupt hip-hop events.
In case you’re wondering what America’s favorite new Sheriff has been up to the last 2yrs: he got caught entrapping 18 black people in 2016 (0 white people,) but is more recently accused of directing deputies to put on ski masks & bust up a venue repeatedly on hip hop nights pic.twitter.com/HnrPVACNyY
In this Episode of Rattling the Bars, Eddie Conway looks at the motivations behind the brutal assault on Herman Bell, a 69-year old political prisoner incarcerated since 1973 Visit http://ther…
British Prime Minister Theresa May says a European Union draft proposal for Northern Ireland’s border threatens the “constitutional integrity” of the UK, and that she will “never” agree to it
“The draft legal text the Commission have published would, if implemented, undermine the UK common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, and no UK prime minster could ever agree to it,” May said Wednesday at the weekly Prime Minister Question session in the British House of Commons.
May declared she will be making it clear to EU officials that her government will never sign up to the document: “I will be making it crystal clear to President Juncker and others that we will never do so.”
The EU’s draft withdrawal agreement includes a proposal to effectively keep Northern Ireland inside the bloc’s single market and customs union in order to ensure there will…
Visit https://democracynow.org to watch the full independent, global news hour, read the transcript, search our archive and to make a donation to support us. Democracy Now! is an independent…
US Vice President Mike Pence has predicted that abortion could end in America “in our time,” telling a group of anti-abortion activists they were making historic progress toward their goal of abolishing the procedure.
Speaking Tuesday at a luncheon organized by anti-abortion groups in Nashville, Tennessee, Pence called US President Donald Trump the “most pro-life president in American history.”
“I know in my heart of hearts this will be the generation that restores life in America,” Pence said.
“Allow me to bring greetings to you from the most pro-life president in all of history, President Donald Trump,” he said. “To all of you who are gathered here, to religious broadcasters who have made a difference for the cause of life, we thank you.”
“If all of us do all we can, we can once again, in our time, restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law.”
Pence has seemingly been a vocal supporter of pro-life, anti-abortion…
Alabama death row inmate’s lawyer: “This was clearly a botched execution that can only be accurately described as torture”
By
Kate Randall
28 February 2018
New details have emerged about the attempted execution of Alabama death row inmate Doyle Hamm last week. Hamm, 61, who has spent more than half of his life on death row, was subjected to about two-and-a-half hours of torture Thursday night in the Holman prison death chamber before prison officials called off the execution.
Hamm was convicted and sentenced to death in 1987 for the robbery-murder of Patrick Cunningham, a motel clerk in Cullman County.
“It was a gory, botched execution,” said Bernard Harcourt, Hamm’s longtime attorney, and a professor at Columbia University law school. “They gave up when they could not find a vein.”
Harcourt had argued in appeals that because Hamm had cranial and lymphatic cancer and a history of drug use his veins could not support the lethal injection, and to attempt it would constitute cruel and unusual punishment, banned by the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution.
The gruesome spectacle in Alabama’s execution chamber was allowed to proceed after the US District Court in Birmingham prohibited the state from trying to access veins in Hamm’s arms and hands and ordered officials to try his lower extremities. The Eleventh Circuit US Court of Appeals in Atlanta required the presence of a doctor and ultrasound equipment. The twisted practice of capital punishment often enlists the services of unscrupulous medical professionals and doctors, who are sworn to “First, do no harm” and save lives, to participate in state killings.
It was the US Supreme Court that finally gave the go-ahead for the execution. The high court granted a temporary stay just before the…
The United States remains segregated along racial lines and child poverty has worsened, posing a threat to democracy in the a country, according to study released 50 years after a landmark civil rights report in 1968.
The study, made public on Tuesday, examines the nation 50 years after the release of a landmark report by the Kerner Commission, which was established by former US President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the causes of the 1967 race riots in the United States and to provide recommendations for the future.
The study blames American policymakers and elected officials, saying they’re not doing enough to heed the warning on deepening inequality and poverty that was highlighted by the Kerner Commission five decades ago and it lists areas where the country has seen “a lack of or reversal of progress.”
“Racial and ethnic inequality is growing worse. We’re resegregating our housing and schools again,” said former Democratic US Senator…
Uranium — the raw material for nuclear power and nuclear weapons — is having a moment in the spotlight.
Companies such as Energy Fuels, Inc. have played well-publicized rolesin lobbying the Trump administration to reduce federal protection for public lands with uranium deposits. The Defense Department’s Nuclear Posture Review calls for new weapons production to expand the US nuclear arsenal, which could spur new domestic uranium mining. And the Interior Department is advocating more domestic uranium production, along with other materials identified as “critical minerals.”
What would expanded uranium mining in the US mean at the local level? I have studied the legacies of past uranium mining and milling in Western states for over a decade. My book examines dilemmas faced by uranium communities caught between harmful legacies of previous mining booms and the potential promise of new economic development.
These people and places are invisible to most Americans, but they helped make the United States an economic and military superpower. In my view, we owe it to them to learn from past mistakes and make more informed and sustainable decisions about possibly renewing uranium production than our nation made in the past.
Mining Regulations Have Failed to Protect Public Health
Today most of the uranium that powers US nuclear reactors is imported. But many communities still suffer impacts of uranium miningand milling that occurred for decades to fuel the US-Soviet nuclear arms race. These include environmental contamination, toxic spills, abandoned mines, under-addressed cancer and disease clusters and illnesses that citizens link to uranium exposure despite federal denials.
As World War II phased into the Cold War, US officials rapidly increased uranium production from the 1940s to the 1960s. Regulations were minimal to nonexistent and largely unenforced, even though the US Public Health Service knew that…
When white people shed exculpatory myths and acknowledge the truth about slavery, they’ve arrived at what descendants of enslaved people know about only too well. But they need not stop there. They could test the proposition that historical memory contributes to undermining racial oppression.
Members of a small family group – myself included – showed up September 25, 2017 at the Freedom House Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. The museum tells the story of the wealth–producing Franklin & Armfield slave – trading firm. The building where it’s located served as the firm’s headquarters and “slave pen.” We were there because we are kin to the firm’s owners, Isaac Franklin and John Armfield.
There we spoke of our “grief for the terrible suffering of enslaved people once imprisoned here.” We affirmed commitment to justice and racial equality and condemned the “silence of generations” in our own family. A Washington Post story on the visit was vague about our future plans. Indeed, they aren’t well formed.
We were on a truth-telling mission with modest ambitions. To talk about family is one thing, but to understand the societal realities that gave rise to racial oppression is another. That requires systematic inquiry. The approach of so-called scientific socialists of the 19th century is on tap.
Evaluation of realities evident through facts, data, the historical record, and first-hand observations leads to…
Oxfam has outdone itself. In the murky, squalid business where charity seems to chase, then embed itself in disaster zones like a dedicated virus, Oxfam ranks highly. In terms of a tally, the number of reported abuses in the charity sector is galloping ahead, with one of Britain’s most noted charities in the lead.
The revelations this month that the charity’s staff sexually exploited victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, a point subsequently concealed, have triggered a storm of British discontent. The revelations included a very active country director, Roland van Hauwermeiren, who revelled in sex parties as he went about his humanitarian work. Allegations of sexual abuse in Oxfam shops have also made their searing mark.
The organisation has lost over 7,000 donors since the revelations, and MPs on the international development committee overseeing aid have been unimpressed. The Charity Commission may well have been misled by former executives Dame Barbara Stocking and Penny Lawrence.
Oxfam’s CEO, Mark Goldring, is all apologies, notably after remarking in an interview with The Guardian that the charity was being attacked as if “we murdered babies in their cots. Certainly, the scale and the intensity of the attacks feel out of proportion to the level of culpability. I struggle to understand it.”
The official line from the organisation was more humbling, though prefaced by an insistence that measures of reform had been implemented. “It is…
Vice President Pence predicted Tuesday that legal abortion would end in the U.S. “in our time.”
“I know in my heart of hearts this will be the generation that restores life in America,” Pence said at a luncheon in Nashville, Tenn., hosted by the Susan B. Anthony List & Life Institute, an anti-abortion organization.
“If all of us do all we can, we can once again, in our time, restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law.”
Pence has long championed anti-abortion policies, as a congressman, as the governor of Indiana and as vice president.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s mission to prove how clueless he is about the post-Brexit Irish border has reached new heights. On Wednesday he did a runner from Parliament rather than face questions on the issue.
Labour’s Emily Thornberry made no attempt to hide her rage after she found herself having to grill David Lidington MP instead of the man in charge. Thornberry called it a “discourtesy and a disgrace.”
The deadlock over the Irish border post-Brexit (are you still awake?) sums up the whole problem with Britain’s self-annexation from the EU. No one knows what the hell is going on, and are now so bored they can’t be bothered to find out either. Johnson is Britain’s top diplomat, and he seems to have less of a clue than most.
This week he suggested that the frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could operate like the traffic congestion charge in London. The Foreign Secretary clearly doesn’t understand what ‘foreign’ means, so I hope he’s doing better on the secretary front with some decent typing and shorthand.
Smugglers from around the world will be over the moon at Johnson’s idea, which will let them freely speed their wares across a future EU-UK border, after they’ve paid the road toll via the credit card hotline of course.
We can only hope that one day Boris has to face Homeland Security in a US airport like the rest of us. He’ll soon realize the difference between swanning around London boroughs and trying to move between one sovereign nation and another.
So what exactly are the options for this Irish border malarkey, then? Here’s what we don’t know.
Hard border
This is the option which means introducing border checks for everyone passing the frontier, which is going to be pretty annoying for industry, holidaymakers and families with big back gardens. It would also prove to be a bit of a downer for the Good Friday Agreement which has kept Northern Ireland peaceful over the last decade.
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In 2016, Johnson channeled Dorothy from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ by saying “There can be no return to a hard border. There can be no hard border.”
5% hard
In a newly-leaked memo to Prime Minister Theresa May, Johnson suggested “Even if a hard border is reintroduced, we would expect to see 95% + of goods pass the border [without] checks.” Sounds like a bit of a lottery.
In the words of Emily Thornberry in Parliament: “You can’t just be a little bit pregnant. Either there is a border, or there isn’t.”
Soft border
This is the option where everyone can pass freely between Ireland and Northern Ireland – and by definition Britain and the EU – in the post-Brexit utopia. A soft border is also known as the “current situation which works really well thank you very much.” May wants this option, suggesting she’s actually pretty choosy about which borders she wants to seize back control of.
Congestion-charge border
No one knows what this option is, apart from that it came from a classic Boris brainfart. Most people with knowledge suggest it may have been less-than-fully-thought through.
Middle of the sea border
Brussels is suggesting there could be a customs border in the middle of the Irish Sea. This is the one a lot of people would like to see Johnson negotiate on foot. The main issue with this is that it would effectively annex Northern Ireland inside the EU, which has angered Theresa May.
The US military presence abroad is linked to “state repression” and may often stir up domestic conflicts and wars between nations, bringing greater regional instability, a report by RAND corporation found.
The report, titled ‘US presence and the incidence of conflict’, describes the impact of Washington’s military policy on other countries, be it allies or adversaries. While it habitually hails the travails of US military power, it nevertheless becomes more pessimistic when it comes to American deployments abroad.
American military presence may increase interstate militarized activities short of war, while provision of US military assistance “may be associated with increased state repression and incidence of civil war.” All nations, either friendly or hostile to the US, are “both potential initiators and potential targets of conflict”, meaning that any US ally could potentially swing from friend to foe at any given time.
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In addition to shaky alliances, the report also highlights that some nations may exploit ties, “which could embolden partner states to adopt more reckless policies.” This has most notably taken place under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who ordered Turkish troops to crack down on the US-trained Kurdish border force outside the Syrian city of Afrin.
“If partners expect to share the risk and consequences of their actions with a powerful United States, they may become more reckless in their foreign policy decisions. US partners may make more demands on adversaries, refuse to compromise in disputes, or even initiate conflicts,” the report says.
The study admits the US troop deployment may increase “militarized activities short of war,” as American adversaries may be more likely to initiate disputes against states with a larger US in-country troop presence.
In purely Machiavellian language, the report underlines the nature of its three most important pillars to its ‘full spectrum dominance regime’. “Formal alliance commitments, military aid, and political and economic relationships are indications of US interests that form the baseline level of US deterrence of adversary attacks on US partners.”
However, researchers segued into another potentiality: the possibility of allies reducing their own military budgets in favor of heavily relying on US military technologies. Such was the case when US President Donald Trump demanded NATO members pay their share of expenses or risk breaking up entirely.
“Recent evidence that US troop presence is associated with a decline in the size of a partner’s military forces and level of defense spending is consistent with this expectation [which] could actually diminish the overall military resources available to deter potential adversaries and make an adversary more likely to initiate conflict,” it speculates.
A common refrain is that the West must “do something” to help Syria, but this is like arguing that the gasoline that was used to start a fire can also be used to extinguish it, explains Caitlin Johnstone.
By Caitlin Johnstone
“We’ve got to do something about Syria!” goes the common Western refrain.
Actually, no you don’t.
“What? You’re saying we should just do nothing??” goes the common response.
A protest placard in the Kafersousah neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 26, 2012. (Photo credit: Freedom House Flickr)
Yes. Yeah that’d be great. Definitely please get as far away from Syria as possible, thanks.
Arguing that the Western war machine is a good way to bring about peace and justice is like arguing that a bulldozer is a useful tool for brain surgery. Arguing that the Western war machine is a good way to bring about peace and justice in Syria is like arguing that the gasoline which was used to start a house fire can also be used to extinguish it.
The cutesy fairy tale you will hear from empire loyalists is that what started out as peaceful protests slowly morphed into a battle between the Syrian government and various terrorist factions, with the West only backing the terrorists later on in the conflict. This is false.
Last October, former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani admitted on television that the U.S. and its allies were actively involved in shipping weapons to violent extremist groups in Syria from the very beginning of the war there in 2011. In an article titled “The day before Deraa,” the American Herald Tribune’s Steven Sahiounie documents how CIA-backed foreign mercenaries/terrorists were already in place ready to go prior to the outbreak of violence in Deraa in March 2011. It is now an openly admitted fact that the CIA and U.S. allies have been arming known terrorist factions in Syria. If you know anything about the CIA and the Western war machine, none of this will surprise you.
The violence in Syria that you see today is the direct result of a deliberate and ongoing destabilization campaign by the Western empire against a nation it has had marked for regime change
Jeffrey Peshut at RealForecasts.com has composed several very illuminating graphs based on the Rothbard-Salerno True Money Supply (TMS). In one graph Peshut shows the collapse of the growth rate of TMS beginning at the end of 2016, which was caused by the Fed beginning to raise the fed funds target rate at the end of the preceding year. What is of great interest is that the recent deceleration of monetary growth (the second red arrow) almost exactly matches in extent and rapidity the monetary deceleration (the first red arrow) that immediately preceded the financial crisis of 2007-2008.
“it’s easy to see that the growth of TMS could grind to a halt and even begin to contract later this year.”
With equity prices heading back toward historic highs after the January “correction” and housing prices bubbling to an all time high in major markets, the suppression of the TMS growth rate, if it is sustained for the rest of the year, portends another credit crisis and housing bust, followed by an economic recession for the U.S. economy. As Peshut’s graph below indicates the qualitative relationship between TMS growth, credit crisis, and recession has been remarkably clear since 1978. Of course, this empirical relationship should not surprise us, because it is nothing but an illustration of…
Currently, the situation around Eastern Ghouta can only be described as drastic. Jaysh Al-Islam along with Faylaq al Rahman militants are blocking civilian evacuations via humanitarian corridors, preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid, and evacuating the wounded.
The humanitarian pause came into effect at 9 a.m. on Thursday upon the initiative of the Syrian Government and Russia. In the area of Vafidin, the government forces have already created block posts, and the medical staff is ready to provide the necessary medical care for the sick and injured. Moreover, special buses will evacuate civilians to safe areas.
Despite the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2401, demanding an immediate end to the fighting and the establishment of a humanitarian truce lasting at least 30 days, the militants of Eastern Ghouta violated ceasefire and have shelled civilians who tried to flee the area from mortars. And in that way, radicals undermine the efforts of the Syrian authorities and hinder the evacuation of the population. At the same time, the Syrian army units fully respect the truce and do not respond to provocations.
A number of Western media have already blamed the Syrian government for ceasefire violations, as well as for potential use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians.
According to the Syrian political observer Abdullah al-Ahmed, such kinds of reports are exclusively aimed at the discretization of the legitimate government and the Syrian government forces.
Abdel Bari Atwan, a Middle East expert, holds the similar position. He believes that some Western media in the near future will try to deflect everyone’s attention from the initiatives of Bashar Assad in the form of humanitarian corridors and civilian evacuation from the besieged Eastern Ghouta. In addition, the media could once again say that the Syrian Army used chemical weapons in order to justify attacks.
Through these actions, the West tries to create a false perception of what’s happening in Eastern Ghouta, as it did during the liberation of Aleppo in 2016. The Syrian army doesn’t fight against Syrians. Only with the support of Russia, all the necessary conditions for the improvement of the humanitarian situation, and rescuing civilians, who are forcibly retained by extremists.
Parents have hit out at a Bristol primary school’s decision to bring “drag queens” in to condition young children against “hate crime”.
Concerned families told the Bristol Post that Parson Street Primary School was going a “step too far” in inviting Drag Queen Story Time (DQST) to read books promoting alternative lifestyles to their children.
“Lots of parents at the school are not happy about it but the headmaster says there’s no negotiation. He said if we don’t like it we should take our kids out of school on an unauthorised absence,” a mother who wished to remain anonymous told the newspaper.
“There are books dotted around the school about sexuality, they learn a lot about LGBTQ+ in school and that’s fine.
“But I just think it’s gone too far now and the head is using his position of power and influence to push this information on the children,” she added.
An earthquake took northern England by surprise this morning, leaving Britons to describe their homes being shaken by the surprise tremor. The quake is the second to hit the country in the space of two weeks.
Amid unusual weather for the UK, which is currently blanketed in snow, a 20-second quake struck in Cumbria, northern England. Residents reported their homes “shaking” just after 7:30am GMT following the second earthquake in the UK in less than a fortnight.
The British Geological Survey said the earthquake was a magnitude 3.2 tremor. The epicentre of the quake was recorded in Mosser, about 3.5 miles from Cockermouth.
Twitter was quickly hit with a wave of users sharing their experiences. One person wrote on Twitter: “Pretty sure I just felt an earthquake in Cumbria. The whole house rattled.
Having run outside in my pyjamas and wife’s slip-ons like some sort of suburban superhero, thinking someone had crashed into the side of our house, in turns out Cumbria was in fact experiencing an earthquake. #cockermouth#theEarthMoved
Liz Priddle said: “I have legit just felt an earthquake. My whole house just shook.” Oliver James Carr put it this way: “Cumbria having an earthquake just to spice things up.”
While, Kayleigh Melissa stated: “Just felt an earthquake tremor in Cumbria. The whole house shook.”
The UK experiences small quakes once or twice a year. Experts say the two being so close together in 2018 is not an indication of a dangerous change. British Geological Survey seismologist Brian Baptie told the Daily Mirror: “People will have been able to feel moderate shaking, some rattling and windows shaking. We wouldn’t expect there to have been any significant damage.
“All the evidence suggests both the UK and the world earthquake activity rates are fairly constant and it’s unlikely this will be connected to the incident in South Wales.”
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Microsoft founder Bill Gates has expressed major reservations about cryptocurrencies, warning that due to their use in the purchase of illegal dangerous drugs, crypto is actually killing people “in a fairly direct way.”
During a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Tuesday – his sixth on the forum – Gates discussed various issues, from quantum computing, to how automation will affect society, and the technological advances he’s most looking forward to over the next decade.
Then Redditer Askur1337 posed the question: “What’s your opinion on Crypto Currencies?” The tech billionaire responded with a word of caution, flagging his concerns over both anonymity of cybercurrencies and, more ominously, their role in “causing deaths.”
Because of the anonymity it provides its users, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin – unlike credit cards – can be used to buy fentanyl and other drugs on the dark web, Gates described it as “a rare technology that has caused deaths in a fairly direct way.”
A powerful opioid, fentanyl has been linked to a spike in deaths in the United States’ ongoing opioid epidemic, with users either taking it directly or buying it from dealers who have cut it with heroin.
In January US President Donald Trump signed into law an ‘anti-fentanyl’ bill, called the Interdict Act, in a bipartisan effort to provide extra funding to US customs agents for additional portable chemical screening devices to check travelers, mail and packages for the illegal substance.
Gates didn’t stop there with his criticism of cryptocurrencies. “The main feature of crypto currencies is their anonymity. I don’t think this is a good thing,” he remarked in the Reddit AMA. “The Governments ability to find money laundering and tax evasion and terrorist funding is a good thing.”
WASHINGTON – New legislation introduced today would end tax incentives that encourage multinational corporations to shift jobs and profits offshore that were enacted under the recent tax legislation pushed by President Trump and Republicans in Congress.
Sponsored by House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), and Senate Finance Committee Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the “No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act” would equalize the tax rates for profits booked at home and abroad rather than maintain the 21% rate on domestic profits and 10.5% on offshore profits, repeal the 10% tax exemption on profits earned from investments made offshore, and crack down on corporation inversions.
Frank Clemente, executive director of American for Tax Fairness, issued the following statement:
“The Trump-GOP tax giveaway legislation is a jobs killer. It cut in half the tax rate corporations will pay on offshore profits in general, but then it effectively eliminates taxes on offshore profits derived from new plant and equipment located offshore. This provides even more tax incentives than existed before for corporations to outsource U.S. jobs and shift profits offshore.
“It is critical to level the playing field so that U.S. workers and U.S. corporations are on an equal footing with the subsidiaries of U.S. corporations operating offshore. Otherwise, corporations will game the system created by this new tax law and working families, communities and Main Street businesses will pay the price.
“When running for president Donald Trump promised to stop U.S. manufacturing from disappearing overseas, but his tax plan will do the opposite. The ‘No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act’ is a critical remedy to ending the new Trump tax incentives that encourage corporations to outsource jobs and shift profits offshore.”
Other organizations endorsing the legislation include the AFL-CIO; Alliance for Retired Americans; American Family Voices; American Federation of Government Employees; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); Americans for Democratic Action; Campaign for America’s Future; Coalition on Human Needs; Communications Workers of America; CREDO; Economic Policy Institute Policy Center; Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition; Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP); International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; Main Street Alliance; MomsRising; National Association of Social Workers; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Other98; Oxfam America; Patriotic Millionaires; People Demanding Action; Progressive Congress Action Fund; Public Citizen; Small Business Majority; Social Security Works; Union Veterans Council; International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); United Steelworkers; and Working America.
The Guardian article from February 6, 2018, titled “Biggest airstrikes in a year hit Syria after rebels shoot down Russian jet” claims that “Russian and Syrian jets have bombed up to 18 towns across north-west Syria, devastating civilian areas and forcing fresh waves of refugees to flee”. According to the journalists Martin Chulov and Kareem Shahee, a series of devastating airstrikes have been carried out in the northwest of Idlib province. “Nine people were treated for symptoms of chlorine exposure after a bomb was dropped on the town of Saraqeb by a helicopter”, they claim. Inside Syria Media Center has tried to get to the bottom of the adequacy of this information and determine whether it is credible.
Fake No.1 Mission Impossible
According to The Guardian journalists, “as many as 150 airstrikes beginning on Sunday were recorded in 18 towns of Idlib province by Monday”. Trying to imagine the number of attacks carried out without interruption for 12 hours we came to the conclusion that Idlib Governorate, in the view of The Guardian, has suffered a saturation bombing. In fact, if these figures were accurate at least eight aircraft would have flown mission and dropped about 60 bombs at every town – based on an average maximum loading of eight FAB-500 general purpose bombs per one Su-25 jet.
At the same time, Business Insider reports that “the most recent satellite images of the Russian-operated Hmeimim air base in Syria show Moscow has 10 types of aircraft in the war-torn country, 33 jets in total and a smaller number of fixed-wing aircraft.” So, all the Russian aircraft are supposed to have taken off and landed 4 times, refueled, loaded weapons and once again set course for Idlib for the 12 hours.
If it really did happen, this military operation could be compared to the one-night air raid on London during WW2, which caused over, 500 deaths a night. But this has nothing in common with the casualties reported by The Guardian.
Besides, The Guardian’s figures vary substantially with those from other sources. Thus, The Washington Post referring to ВВС channel reported 25 airstrikes on 15 towns. It also claimed that about 20 militants in the area died in bombardment while The Guardian cited 300 people killed, mostly women and children.
Have analyzed Turkish mass media, we do not consider the Guardian’s ‘facts’ to be authentic. For example, Anadolu Agency reported on civilian casualties referring to White Helmets director in Idlib, Mustafa Haj Yusuf. This organization has already been involved in staging fake videos. Moreover, Turkish media claimed the only tragic case had happened in Masaran village with eight locals killed and about 40 wounded from Feb. 4 to Feb. 5, 2018. It was also reported that three mosques and a hospital had been destroyed in Maarat al-Numan without quoting the number of killed. So Guardian’s data on 300 civilians killed is also looking different.
Fake No.2 Has Termala actually been?
Covering the situation around Termala, The Guardian’s reporters refer to some monitoring groups. In our opinion, the source of this false information is the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Surprisingly, we have not found any photos or videos which could prove this airstrike. The Observatory’s representatives said Russian airstrikes had killed three people targeting the village of Termala in Idlib on February 6. This information was widely disseminated by the influential Western media like Anadolu and NYP. However, their data slightly varies. Some report three civilians deaths while others report five deaths.
Fake No.3 “Chemical explosion”
There is a particular interest in a new case of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. According to The Guardian, “nine people were treated for symptoms of chlorine exposure after a bomb was dropped on the town of Saraqeb by a helicopter.” However, some American sources like Business Insider say there were two bombs and 11 wounded. The Guardian’s journalists refer to the unnamed ‘medics’. This alleged fact causes major doubts because of several reasons.
First, we’ve analyzed the craters formed, according to locals, by the barrel bomb with chlorine gas dropped on Saraqeb.
Location of the bomb dropped on Saraqeb
The result of the barrel bomb drop in Hama Governorate
The dispersion of soil fragments in craters doesn’t match with the barrel bomb drop. This is called a fragmentation effect. The detonating wave converts the shell and sends its fragments/splinters flying with high velocity in roughly three separate directions when the projectile reaches the surface and the explosive filler blows up.
The aperture of the craters formed and the amount of the splinters in them mostly depend on the shape and body of the shell, and also on the explosive filler inside. The directions of the splinters are affected by the velocity and the speed of rotation at the moment when the projectile explodes. Usually, the majority of the splinters are in the side cones (roughly 80 % of the splinters), and with the shells fired by cannons and howitzers, which have cylindrical projectiles, the aperture of the cone is usually between 40 – 50 degrees. The shells fired by mortars, are usually drop-shaped, giving the side cone an aperture of over 50 degrees. Below is the scheme of the dispersion of soil fragments.
The scheme shows that an artillery and mortar shell unlike a barrel bomb has a parabolic trajectory and coming in a shallow or a steep angle. At the same time, a vertically dropped barrel bomb has practically the similar dispersion of soil fragments in all the directions. The ammunition of different type and function can’t leave the same traces on the ground.
On these videos,
We can see the craters of that kind which are equal to many others formed as a result of artillery or mortar shell. So, the video shows the mortar crater, not the barrel one. The crater is most likely to have been created due to the militant attack.
Second, Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) found out the location of the alleged attack.
The supposed impact point of the two barrel bombs
However, thoroughly looking at the older Google-maps pictures dated 01/10/16 we can assume that the craters had been formed long ago.
The screenshot of Google-maps dated 01/10/16
It is worth paying special attention to the use of chlorine effects radius. We can use the following formula to describe the process.
R = 2,52 √ Q/d,
Q=spread over materials (tons),
d= density (tons m-3).
The density can be measured on the basis of the bomb’s form appeared in the video. The bomb of such type was allegedly dropped on Saraqeb. We identified that the chemical warheads for this barrel bomb do not exceed 10 kilos. Consequently, two barrel bombs’ mass is less than 20 kilos.
The screenshot of the barrel bomb allegedly dropped on Saraqeb
The chloride density is d=0,001557 tons m-3. We can calculate the radius of possible damage using the formula: R =2,52*√0,02/0,001557=9 meters.
Thus, only the people standing around the epicenter could be wounded. The nearby houses couldn’t be ruined.
Besides, the pictures of the bomb were taken in the different locations and not in the direct placement of the explosion. This fact can also confirm the falsification of The Guardian’s information.
The photos of the chlorine bomb taken not in the place of the explosion
The only house that could be affected is inhabited and half-constructed without roof and window-frames.
The photo of the house
The peak chlorine effects radius is laid down upon the map below.
The peak chlorine effects radius of the two bombs
Moreover, the puddle of water inside the crater emerged after the rain. It gave us an idea to see weather forecasts in Saraqeb where the bomb had been allegedly dropped. The picture of the crater with the puddle of water in Saraqeb dated 02/04/2018
It turned out that a week before the video was posted on February 4, 2018, there had been no precipitations in Saraqeb. This proves that the video was made much earlier – for example, during the last rainfall on January 27, 2018.
The weather forecast in Saraqeb dated 02/04/2018
The article was written by Syrians for Truth & Justice special report group allegedly provides evidence of a chemical attack and contains the statements by the supervisors of the so-called Aviation Observatory which monitors the movement of warplanes in Saraqeb skies. The officer said that a helicopter with a designation “Alpha 253” had taken off from al-Manjazrat School, located in Hama countryside at 9:00 pm on February 4, 2018, and headed towards the north of Syria.
That day the sun went down at 17:03 pm, so it was very dark at 9:00 pm, and according to the weather forecast, the sky was cloudy.
It is curious to find out how the representative of the so-called Aviation Observatory could see a helicopter and its designation.
Another issue concerns the reasonability of dropping two barrels of poisonous gas. What military task the Syrian president (if it was him) could seek to solve by giving an order to drop two barrel bombs of chlorine from the helicopter?
Chemical weapons are considered as weapons of mass destruction. Its use implies a massive loss of human life. Thus, in 1988, the using of chemical weapons in Halabja (Iraqi Kurdistan city) led to the death of five thousand people.
We value every single life. However, taking into account only 11 victims, it cannot be called massive death.
So why the Syrian government needs to use chemical weapons if its amount cannot even kill? This quite differs from the narrative of the Western media that tries to present Assad as a bloodthirsty murderer.
By acting like this, the Syrian Arab Army would never drive ISIS out of the country or gain an advantage over the opposition. Such measures are ineffective but are good for a provocative act.
Shortly after this, the United States declared once again to the world community that it “would keep the right to launch attacks against Syria if it becomes necessary to prevent or stop the use of chemical weapons.” All this reminds of Khan Shaykhun incident and the U.S. missile strike on the Shayrat airbase.
In addition, it’s worth noting that we’ve never heard about the use of chemical weapons by Syrian troops against ISIS.
Fake No.4 “Destroyed Hospitals”
The Guardian also mentions Ahmad al-Dbis, the director of safety and security at the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM). He often makes public statements to The Guardian, The Telegraph, Reuters, Huffington Post, Der Spiegel, etc. His words are based on the statements of the White Helmets. Nevertheless, we’ve found some more contradictions.
One is “the fact” of an airstrike on the hospital in Kafr Nabl.
The analysis of the video of SMART opposition channel allows telling that the footages were taken at specially prepared places and from different angles as if the cameramen knew about the impending airstrikes and pre-selected positions for recording.
Here are the links to the videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzFAjvqC9uw&list=PLPC0Udeof3T4QmV4f9tEhDmQzr2Z_vTKZ&index=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a1eWc0xRqo&list=PLPC0Udeof3T4QmV4f9tEhDmQzr2Z_vTKZ&index=9
In addition, the hospital’s exterior questions the very fact of the medical personnel recently working in there. It looks like the hospital has been out of operation for a long time (since May 28, 2014.)
The footage of the destroyed Kafr Nabl Hospital
We have also found out that the hospital received most of the damage much earlier. In the course of the investigation, the media center stumbled upon other videos of hospital attacks in Kafr Nabl previously.
In the video of the Syrian opposition YouTube channel Qasioun News Agency on March 25, 2017, you can see White Helmets volunteers putting out one of the single-story buildings on the territory of the hospital.
Photo of the fire on the hospital’s territory dated March 25, 2017
Near the building, we have found a burned diesel generator which previously supplied the hospital with electricity. The generator was destroyed by fire on March 25, 2017. The following video shows that the generator is out of order. Hence the hospital is out of operation since March 2017.
The territory of the hospital dated March 25, 2017.
Diesel generator destroyed by fire dated March 25, 2017.
Apparently, the medical personnel left the building much earlier. The latest evidence that the hospital operates for its intended purpose is a video dated May 17, 2014.
Video of the working hospital dated May 17, 2014.
On May 25, 2014, the hospital was attacked and partially destroyed.
After that, it seems that it was occupied by militia groups that used the hospital building as their base. The video shows a special mound (1) that covers the windows; there are no windows in the entire building (2); there are grills (3) installed at the entrance and indoor; the defensive positions are based on the second floor (4).
Photo of the destroyed hospital in Kafr-Nabl in the province of Idlib
The hospital current state shows that there was a serious fight for the building, perhaps between local opposition groups. The walls have multiple bullets holes.
Photos of bullet holes
There are other burned buildings nearby that rather look like fortified positions of militants. Some of those buildings were seriously hit by artillery shells. Here is a small structure that has also been converted into a fire position after being partially destroyed.
A small structure in the territory of the medical center
The mentioned facts point out that Kafr Nabl hospital was already out of operation as of February 5, 2018.
Another curious detail is that an ambulance parked in front of the building has exactly the same location in each video dating from September 19, 2017.
Moreover, there is no fragment of glass around or in the vehicle which means that the ambulance, with no equipment inside the cabin, by the way, was more likely to have been damaged long before the strike cited by the Guardian.
The ambulance cabin in the video dated February 5, 2018
Here’s another odd: rescuers are carrying out only two injured persons with no trace of dust on them. It means that these patients had been moved there to make a staged video about the aftermath of “an airstrike” on the hospital in February 2018. The footage doesn’t show a real rescue operation through the hospital allegedly treats up to 200, 000 patients a year!
Staged video with two hospitals “patients”
Thus, the claims about the hospital bombing are clearly a hoax. Speaking of the Maarat al-Numan hospital we can say that its interior also looks doubtful as there’s no wall damage while the hospital rooms and halls don’t seem to be used for treatment: many of them are full with trash and lack medical equipment.
Rooms and halls in Maaret al-Numan hospital
Besides, one shot demonstrating the so-called bombing aftermath shows no material damage, dust or any other effect from an alleged air strike. And then, in other shots (2 min 12 sec) with the very same hospital after an “air strike”, the doors are pulled off and the building is damaged.
Medical equipment keep operating after an air strike
All this raises doubts about the veracity of information sourced from the director of safety and security at the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations Ahmad al-Dbis and the activist Hassan Mukhtar cited by the Guardian. For instance, Hassan Mukhtar claims there are 300 civilian deaths in two cities without mentioning his sources. But the most unbelievable is that how “the activist” could get information on “600,000 refugees trying to find a safe haven towards the Turkish border” in such short period of time.
Summary
We’ve found out the following inconsistent facts, which are more likely to be concocted:
– The number of air strikes launched from Feb. 4 to Feb. 5, 2018, and the number of towns in Idlib province allegedly damaged due to the raids
– Information about civilian deaths in the village of Termala
– Data about a chemical attack on the town of Saraqeb
– Information about air strikes on the hospitals in Kafr Nabl and Maarat al-Numan
– The craters created by bombs
– Lack of warhead fragments in the craters
Based on the investigation, it comes clear that the largest Western media, like the Guardian, tried to cover a new provocative initiative concocted by the Syrian opposition and the White Helmets backed by the U.S. special services and their allies who seek to discredit the Assad government, Syria’s and Russia’s Air Forces
Abigail Hernandez, a 21-year-old New York woman, was arrested for threatening to shoot students at East High School in Rochester, police announced at a press conference Friday.
According to Rochester Deputy Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, Hernandez — an illegal immigrant shielded from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — made the threat on East High’s Facebook page on February 16, two days after the horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Though East staff members reported the threat that day, police did not arrest Hernandez until February 20, as the threat was made through a fake Facebook account she created in January.
The threat from the fake account read, “I’m coming tomorrow morning and I’m going to shoot all of ya bitches.”
A British woman who stabbed an autistic teenager to death has been jailed for life in Australia. The vicious murder made Jemma Lilley, 26, feel “euphoric,” the court heard.
Lilley, originally from Lincolnshire, killed 18-year-old Aaron Pajich at her home in Perth, Australia, to tick murder off her ‘bucket list,’ the prosecution claimed. She and accomplice Trudi Lenon, 43, were sentenced to life imprisonment with a 28-year minimum term by the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Wednesday.
During the four-week case, the court heard Pajich had been lured to Lilley and Lenon’s home in Orelia on June 13, 2016. Lenon accused Lilley of garroting Pajich from behind as he was installing a program on a computer. After the wire broke, Lilley stabbed the teenager three times, according to Lenon’s testimony.
Prosecutor James McTaggart told the court that Lilley killed Pajich to cross murder off hcharer ‘bucket list,’ adding that she was so “full of herself and euphoric” that she boasted about the act to a colleague. Soon after the murder, Lilley bragged about the incident to colleague Mathew Stray, who later testified in court. The evidence from Stray was crucial to Lilley’s conviction, as she told him accurate details about the murder before Pajich’s body was discovered.
Lilley, who had a troubled childhood and moved to Australia in 2010, had developed a long-term fascination with horror films, murder and serial killers. She also penned a book about a serial killer titled ‘SOS.’
Lilley’s stepmother Nina, 48, told the Times that Lilley had “always had an obsession with serial killers” but this had been “a way of venting her frustration of what happened when she was a child.” Speaking after the conviction, she said: “The book was a big problem with me. At the beginning I was, ‘fair enough you want to write a horror story,’ but I didn’t like the contents of it.”
California has paved the way for driverless cars to cruise the highways…eventually. New rules mean that a human will no longer need to be present in test vehicles.
On Monday, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced new rules that will allow self-driving vehicles on the road without a person in the car for safety. The rules will come into effect on April 2.
Under the new rules, tech companies working on driverless vehicle systems can begin trials of driverless cars without a safety driver at the wheel. Until now, the DMV has allowed driverless cars to be tested only if a safety driver is on hand to take over.
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“This is a major step forward for autonomous technology in California,” DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a statement. “Safety is our top concern and we are ready to begin working with manufacturers that are prepared to test fully driverless vehicles in California.”
However, ordinary mortals won’t be hitching a ride in a driverless car anytime soon. Companies wishing to test these vehicles need to secure a special permit from the DMV.
In 2014, California became the first state to establish rules for testing autonomous vehicles on public roads. The state has so far awarded a license to test self-driving technology to 50 companies.
California is the most populous state in the US, with almost 40 million residents. Many of the most prominent driverless tech companies are based in the Golden State. Some consumer advocates have expressed dismay over the decision, however.
“A remote test operator will be allowed to monitor and attempt to control the robot car from afar. It will be just like playing a video game, except lives will be at stake,” said John M. Simpson, privacy and technology director at Consumer Watchdog.
Driverless cars are also on the menu in Florida. Ford Motor Company has announced plans to pilot semi-automated delivery vehicles. In partnership with Domino’s Pizza and Postmates, the robo-cars will deliver food around the streets of Miami and Miami Beach.
The catch: delivery cars are not actually driverless. While the company hopes the cars will be completely automated soon, the initiative aims to suss out how customers interact with the delivery vehicle.
“What we learn from this customer experience research will be applied to the design of our purpose-built self-driving vehicle that we plan to launch in 2021 to support the expansion of our service,” said Sherif Marakby, VP of autonomous vehicles and electrification at Ford.
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US Senator Ed Markey has expressed concern over the Trump administration’s efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia for the construction of nuclear reactors.
Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said any nuclear deal with Riyadh must require a non-proliferation accord, known as a “123 agreement,” which is designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
“Previous US efforts to conclude a 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia have been unsuccessful because of its long-standing refusal to commit to foregoing any uranium enrichment or spent-fuel reprocessing on its territory — the so-called… ‘gold standard’ for 123 agreements,” Markey said in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, AFP reported.
Perry will head to London to meet with Saudi officials on Friday.
The talks were frozen under the administration of former President…
Contrary to all of the hype about melting glaciers, at least 58 New Zealand glaciers advanced between 1983 and 2008. Indeed, Franz Josef Glacier advanced nearly continuously during those years. “We found that lower temperature caused the glaciers to advance, rather than increased precipitation as previously thought. These periods of reduced temperature affected the entire New Zealand region, and they were significant enough for the glaciers to re-advance in spite of human-induced climate change.”
It is not going to be fun trying to survive in the northern reaches of our planet. Remember that movie about the sudden onset of a new ice age where the scientist picks up a marker and sweeps it across the belly of America and says to the President, evacuate everyone below this line. Rapid cooling is happening to our beloved earth and there is nothing we can do about it except fantasize about global warming. The ice and snow that is headed our way is going to bury civilization in the northern latitudes in the next few decades.
Not going to happen from one week to another, like in the move ‘The Day After’, but this year is showing us how fast things can change, how deep the temperatures can drop, how snow accumulations can mount and how normal activities can be curtailed. Not much goes on during a blizzard and when the snow gets too deep roofs start collapsing. Perhaps the destined financial collapse will happen first, but cold climate change will offer us a staggering challenge that few are preparing for.
Billings Montana gives a bird’s eye view of what is happening in terms of amounts of snow. As of yesterday, Billings hadn’t seen this much snow by the 18th of February — ever — and 10 more days still remain in the month. As of…
A US judge, who President Donald Trump criticized due to his Hispanic origins, has rejected a legal challenge to the construction of a wall along borders with Mexico.
On Tuesday, Gonzalo Curiel ruled in favor of Trump’s planned wall, but said his decision was separate from the underlying issue of whether or not the wall should be erected.
Donald Trump (L) and Judge Gonzalo Curiel (File photo)
“Court is aware that the subject of these lawsuits, border barriers, is currently the subject of heated political debate in and between the United States and the Republic of Mexico as to the need, efficacy and the source of funding for such barriers,” he wrote.
“In its review of this case, the Court cannot and does not consider whether underlying decisions to construct the border barriers are politically wise or prudent.”
In response, the president took to Twitter, laballing the order a vicotry.
Big legal win today. U.S. judge sided with the Trump…
In his melancholic book, Age of Extremes: the Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991 (1995), British historian Eric Hobsbawm states: “The history of the twenty years after 1973 is that of a world which lost its bearings and slid into instability and crisis” (p. 403). American historian Tony Judt (Postwar: a History of Europe Since 1945 (2005) captures a widely expressed sentiment: “After 1945-75, Western Europe’s ‘thirty glorious years’ gave way to an age of monetary inflation and declining growth rates, accompanied by widespread unemployment and social discontent (p. 455). Hobsbawm thinks that it was only in the 1980s that it became clear that the “golden age” of the social welfare state had crumbled and disintegrated.
In the 1970s and 1980s something new and threatening to human solidarity and well-being was wresting itself free of service to the common good and undermining the “principle of oneness.” Its name was Neo-liberalism, the mighty Moloch to whom all must surrender. It also became undeniable that the “global nature” of the crisis was being uneasily recognized. One part of the world—the USSR and E. Europe—had collapsed entirely. And in Africa, West Asia, Latin America the growth of the GDP ceased as a severe depression settled in the lands like an unwanted damp fog. But from the corporate elite’s towering vantage-point, western economies seemed to be thriving even if millions of individuals…
“One Belt, One Road,” China’s $1 trillion infrastructure initiative, is a massive undertaking of highways, pipelines, transmission lines, ports, power stations, fiber optics, and railroads connecting China to Central Asia, Europe and Africa. According to Dan Slane, a former advisor in President Trump’s transition team, “It is the largest infrastructure project initiated by one nation in the history of the world and is designed to enable China to become the dominant economic power in the world.” In a January 29th article titled “Trump’s Plan a Recipe for Failure, Former Infrastructure Advisor Says,” he added, “If we don’t get our act together very soon, we should all be brushing up on our Mandarin.”
On Monday, February 12th, President Trump’s own infrastructure initiative was finally unveiled. Perhaps to trump China’s $1 trillion mega-project, the Administration has now upped the ante from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, or at least so the initiative is billed. But as Donald Cohen observes in The American Prospect, it’s really only $200 billion, the sole sum that is to come from federal funding; and it’s not even that after factoring in the billions in tax cuts in infrastructure-related projects. The rest of the $1.5 trillion is to come from cities, states, and private investors; and since city and state coffers are depleted, that chiefly means private investors. The focus of the Administration’s plan is on public-private…
Right-wing media launch witch-hunt against Grenfell activist Joe Delaney
By
Barry Mason and Robert Stevens
28 February 2018
Three right-wing newspapers have launched a filthy coordinated attack on Grenfell activist and North Kensington resident Joe Delaney.
Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times led on February 24 with an article headlined, “‘Homeless’ Grenfell Tower activist Joe Delaney has flat” with a subtitle alleging, “A campaigner claiming cash for food while put up in a hotel is still using his own home.”
The tabloid Sun—also owned by Murdoch—and the Daily Mail recycled these smears against Delaney the next day.
Delaney is living in a hotel room after he was evacuated following the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 71 people. But according to the Times, Mail and Sun, he is living the high-life on the public purse, “still using his north Kensington apartment” while “claiming food allowances of up to £300 per week and has a hotel room funded by the taxpayer.”
All three newspapers referred to Delaney as being “homeless,” in quotation marks.
The Times article is a political sting operation in the best traditions of the Murdoch press, complete with surveillance and undercover photography and unexplained access to Delaney’s personal data:
“A Sunday Times investigation found Delaney had not regularly been using the room paid for by the council at the Novotel hotel in west London,” wrote Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund. “Last week, he was photographed by this newspaper on two occasions leaving his flat close to Grenfell in the morning.”
Officials from the Conservative-run Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) council have denied accusations they supplied tenancy and financial records to the Times, but no credence can be given to…
The liberal campaign against the NRA has successfully pressured some companies to sever their partnerships with the gun rights group but it’s having another, unintended effect: galvanizing conservatives who feel the NRA has been unfairly attacked.
Liberal activist groups turned the NRA into a scapegoat for the Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead and immediately launched a pressure campaign meant to weaken the NRA, which touts itself as the nation’s longest-standing civil rights organization.
Liberals have threatened boycott campaigns against companies like FedEx, for having discount partnerships with NRA members. On that front, the activists have had some success, as several companies including United Airlines and Delta Airlines caved to the pressure and severed their ties with the NRA. Left-wing website ThinkProgress, a project of the George Soros-funded Center for American Progress, has since taken credit for launching that boycott campaign.
Two left-wing gun control groups, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and Everytown for Gun Safety, are pressuring Amazon, Apple and Google to ban the NRA’s channel from their streaming platforms. So far, their censorship campaign has been unsuccessful.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has reportedly had his security clearance downgraded. This may complicate US peacemaking efforts in the Middle East, which he is in charge of.
Kushner’s clearance was downgraded from Top Secret to Secret, according to Politico, which cited a February 23 memo supposedly originating from the White House. No link or copy of the document was provided, however.
The memo also reportedly states that all interim White House staff working with temporary Top Secret or Secret Compartmentalized Information (SCI) clearances were downgraded to “secret.” The downgrade was a part of reforms introduced by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly after a scandal involving staff secretary Rob Porter uncovered that he and many other key aides had not received their permanent clearances, but were still authorized to look at sensitive materials anyway.
Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, never received his full security clearance due to delays with his paperwork and missing information on his application forms, including financial data. He was asked on several occasions to resubmit them. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein informed the White House of the backlog earlier this month.
Kushner once enjoyed access to some of the highest-level documents in the White House, the president’s daily brief, but will lose that privilege after the downgrade. Despite this, White House officials have assured that he will remain an important part of the team.
The White House maintains that Jared Kushner’s ability to do his job, which involves negotiating peace in the Middle East, won’t be affected by the new security clearance policy. Pretty much no one else sees it that way.
“We actually haven’t commented on Jared’s issue indicated, but we have commented on his ability to do his job,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders mentioned in a POLITICO interview. “He’s a valued member of the team and he will continue to do the important work that he’s been doing since he’s started in the administration.”
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Even though Trump had the authority to grant Kushner permanent clearance, he declined to do so and left the final decision with Kelly.
“The American people deserve a White House staff that meets the highest standards and that has been carefully vetted — especially those who work closely with the president or handle sensitive national security information,” Kelly wrote in the 5-page memo on February 16. “We should — and in the future, must — do better.”
Kushner, 37, was commissioned by Trump to be an envoy to broker peace agreements between Israeli and Palestinian officials. Since the process requires access to Top Secret documents, chances are his current setback will hinder these efforts.
Josh Raffel, the leading spokesperson for Trump’s Israeli-Palestine peace process is set to abdicate his position at the White House within the next two months, Axios reported. Raffel has not given an official reason for his departure.
High-profile campaign groups plan to hold protests in London next week against a visit to Britain by the powerful Saudi crown prince to raise alarm over Riyadh’s war crimes in Yemen and its human rights record.
The protesters will gather outside Downing Street next Wednesday, when Mohammed bin Salman arrives in the UK to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May.
Among the organizers are the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and Stop the War Coalition, which counts Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott among their patrons, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
The activists have urged the premier to “show some backbone” over Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations and end Britain’s arms sales to the kingdom, which has been engaged in a deadly war against Yemen over the past three years.
The UK has increased its weapons sales by around 500 percent since the onset of the deadly Saudi military campaign that has killed some 13,600 people in Yemen so…
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner has been stripped of his top security clearance, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The move, which will have profound implications for the US administration, will prevent Kushner from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access, Politico reported.
The two sources, who confirmed the decision Tuesday, also said that all White House aides operating on the highest-level interim clearances received a memo saying that their clearances would be downgraded.
The February 16 memo states that the aides, previously working on “top secret/sensitive compartmented information” interim clearances saw their access changed to “secret,” meaning they now have access to far fewer government secrets.
This comes after chief of staff John Kelly previously stipulated new changes to the security clearance system.
A group of free-speech lawyers filed the most serious legal challenge yet to Twitter’s censorship policies Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court, seeking a ruling preventing Twitter from banning users purely on the basis of their views and political associations.
The 29-page complaint contends that, under a California legal doctrine that recognizes some private facilities as “public forums,” Twitter may not discriminate against speech on their platform based purely on viewpoint. If successful, it would be the first extension of that doctrine to internet social media platforms and could transform the way free speech is treated online. The suit became all the more relevant Wednesday as Twitter stood accused of locking out thousands of conservatives under the guise of cracking down on “Russian bots.”
The genesis of the suit is Twitter’s November 2017 announcement that they would start banning and sanctioning users based on their offline behavior and associations. On December 18, 2017, Twitter, five years after their top British executive described the company as “the free speech wing of the free speech party,” made good on this threat, “purging” hundreds of mostly right-wing users. Twitter’s new policy refers to association with “violent extremist groups,” and a company blog post claimed, “If an account’s profile information includes a violent threat or multiple slurs, epithets, racist or…
Progressives found new reason for dismay on Tuesday after internal documents revealed efforts by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to squash support for Medicare for All and a separate attempt to curtail demands for stricter gun control following the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year.
“It’s becoming evident that the DCCC—and the billionaire donors and revolving door consultants that make up the Democratic Party establishment—believe Democrats can only take back Congress by running on a watered down message…instead of the basic values of decency and fairness that voters demand,” said Waleed Shahid of Justice Democrats in a statement.
“The establishment of the Democratic Party needs to get out of the way of the rising tide of movements that could sweep them into the majority.”—Waleed Shahid, Justice Democrats
Documents on healthcare messaging that were handed out to House Democrats in the wake of the 2016 election treated universal healthcare as a fringe issue, suggesting that lawmakers are not to entertain Medicare for All as a potential solution to the nation’s high healthcare costs and poor outcomes.
“The American people overwhelmingly want Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it or replace it with something radically different,” reads the memo. “We need to offer reasonable solutions to improve the law instead of a massive overhaul.”
In fact, a Harvard-Harris poll taken in September found that 52 percent of Americans backed a Medicare for All or single-payer healthcare system. Among Democrats, however, that number is much higher, with 69 percent in favor.
The messaging memo also included Republican talking points attacking a single-payer system like the Medicare for All plan proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), without providing any rebuttals to the claims.
As the healthcare memo came to light, the Huffington Postreported that last October, in the immediate wake of the Las Vegas shooting, the DCCC warned House candidates to steer clear of “politicizing” the massacre that killed 58 people and injured hundreds.
“You and your candidate will be understandably outraged and upset, as will your community. However, DO NOT POLITICIZE IT TODAY,” DCCC regional press secretary Evan Lukaske wrote to candidates in an email just after the shooting. “There will be time for politics and policy discussion, but any message today should be on offering thoughts/prayers for victims and their families, and thanking first responders who saved lives.”
The email was “straight out of the NRA’s talking points,” Mark Glaze of the gun violence prevention group Guns Down told the Huffington Post.
“If the DCCC is willing to give up a key issue and offend virtually every Democrat so as not to bother eight Independents in rural Missouri, they’re even more incompetent than we thought, and Democrats should be very worried about the midterms,” Glaze said.
The memo surfaced amid reports that even after the vocal grassroots effort, led by survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting earlier this month, to achieve gun control legislation that would make it harder to purchase military-style semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15, Democratic leadership is concerned that a push for real reform could hurt the party in the 2018 midterm elections.
“How do you keep from having a conversation about sensible changes be turned into ‘They want to take your guns away’?” a former Democratic leadership aide told the Hill last week, summing up the Party’s concerns.
Pennsylvania Democrat Conor Lamb, who is campaigning in a special election set to take place March 13 in a Republican district, spoke vaguely after the Parkland attack about his goal to “do some things that would really produce change” but argued against new gun laws.
As Democrats fret over the popularity of gun control, 70 percent of Americans now favor stricter gun control, while 61 percent told Harvard-Harris that the AR-15, the gun used in Parkland as well as in several other mass shootings in recent years, should be banned from purchase by civilians.
“The establishment of the Democratic Party needs to get out of the way of the rising tide of movements that could sweep them into the majority,” said Shahid. “Across the country, we’re seeing grassroots activists come out in unprecedented numbers: to demand health care as a right, to stop the Trump agenda of division and greed, and to ban assault weapons. It’s a slap in the face to this grassroots movement that the DCCC only wants to offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ as a solution to an epidemic that has stolen so many lives.”
Students in the US state of Colorado walk out of their classes to protest the country’s gun laws two weeks after 17 people were shot to death at a Florida high school.
Hundreds of students from all five Poudre district high schools in Fort Collins participated in the walkout on Tuesday afternoon and marched to Old Town Square to congregate for an organized protest.
Some were chanting, “This is what democracy looks like,” while others were carrying signs that read; “It’s not my job to know where to hide” and “I want to worry about grades, not guns.”
On February 14, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people and injuring 14 others.
The gunman, a former student who was said to be 19 years old, quietly surrendered to police after opening fire with an assault-style rifle.
“What happened in Florida could happen anywhere,” Misty Hirsch, a student at Senior Liberty High School, said.
The U.S. Role in the War in Yemen: What You Can Do Thursday, March 1, 8 PM EST
Since March 2015, U.S.-supported airstrikes in Yemen have implicated us in what is now the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Military action by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition is the leading cause of civilian casualties in Yemen, as they repeatedly target schools, hospitals, weddings, public markets, water and sanitation systems, and other vital civilian infrastructure – all probable war crimes carried out with U.S. support.
It’s time to end America’s role in what is now the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Join us on Thursday, March 1 at 8 PM EST to learn about the U.S. role in this suffering, and learn how you can take action for Yemeni civilians. Click here to RSVP.
About the speakers:
Kate Gould is the Legislative Director for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Kate is one of only a handful of registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C. working to advance human rights objectives and support diplomatic solutions to resolve disputes between the U.S. and Iran and the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Israel/Palestine.
Kate Kizer is the Policy Director at Win Without War. Previously, she was the Director of Policy and Advocacy at The Yemen Peace Project, which works to promote understanding between Americans and Yemenis and to advocate for a peaceful, constructive foreign policy. Earlier, she worked an US Advocacy Officer for Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.
This webinar is co-sponsored by STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities; the Friends Committee on National Legislation; Win Without War; Indivisible; The Yemen Peace Project; Campaign for Liberty; Just Foreign Policy; Common Defense; Antiwar.com; Peace Action NYC; and Peace Action New York State.
The Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz watched his adoptive father die when he was just five years old and was bullied relentlessly by his younger brother through his teens, new reports have revealed.
New details that have emerged paint a disturbing photo about the home life of the 19-year-old who opened fire on his former classmates and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14.
When he was just five, in 2004, Cruz watched his adoptive father Roger Cruz die of a heart attack, reported the Sun Sentinel.
And years later, the disturbed teen reportedly tried to kill himself by guzzling gasoline just days before he would turn 18.
Four extremist plots by right-wing groups in the UK were foiled by counterterrorism cops last year, the outgoing head of the unit revealed. He was speaking at the in the Colin Cramphorn Memorial Lecture in London.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley revealed there are major concerns over potential attacks by anti-Islamic groups in Britain. The UK’s top cop in counterterrorism compared the threat from Islamist extremists to far right fanatics, claiming although the far-right proclaims to hate jihadists, it can be just as dangerous.
Talking to journalists before the speech, Rowley singled out the now-banned group National Action, warning that the public should be “gravely concerned” by its existence. The white supremacist, neo-Nazi group was the first of its kind to be banned under anti-terrorism legislation.
“The right-wing threat was not previously organized. Every now and then there’s been an individual motivated by that rhetoric who has committed a terrorist act, but we’ve not had an organized right-wing threat like we do now,” he said.
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Rowley cited the power of individuals to drive recruitment to extremist organizations, citing convicted activist Anjem Choudary and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) on one hand, and groups such as National Action and former EDL leader Tommy Robinson on the other. Islamic terrorists and the far right are both trying to “increase tensions and divisions in communities,” Rowley added.
Earlier this month, Finsbury Park mosque attacker Darren Osborne was jailed for life. Osborne drove a van into a crowd outside the London mosque, killing one person. Rowley said Osborne grew to hate Muslims through “large amounts of online far-right material, including statements from former EDL leader Tommy Robinson, Britain First and others.”
In a frightening revelation, Rowley said there were currently more than 600 ongoing investigations looking at Islamist organizations, extreme right-wing groups and others. Around 3,000 subjects of interest are being investigated and 20,000 individuals are marked as having featured in past terrorism investigations.
Rowley has overseen the response to five terrorist attacks in the UK, including the atrocities on Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Borough Market, Finsbury Park mosque and Parsons Green tube station, as well as in the Manchester arena. He will retire after a 31-year career in which he became the head of anti-terrorist activities in the UK in 2014.
The US is seeking to contain Iran’s rising influence in the Middle East and fend off challenges to Washington’s hegemony posed by Russia and China, the top general commanding US forces in the region told Congress.
General Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), briefed the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) on Tuesday on the efforts against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and the wars in Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen. All of which fall under the purview of CENTCOM, “the only geographic combatant command executing active combat operations,” Votel pointed out.
The US has partitioned the globe into six combatant commands. Under this arrangement, CENTCOM’s area of responsibility extends from the Libyan border with Egypt to Pakistan’s border with India, and from Kazakhstan’s border with Russia to Sudan.
From Votel’s 45-page prepared testimony, it was apparent that the US regards Iran as the biggest challenge in the region, followed by Russian and Chinese efforts to chip away at Washington’s hegemony.
“An increase in Russian surface-to-air missile systems in the region threatens our access and ability to dominate the airspace,” Votel complained at one point, discussing Syria.
Unlike the US forces present in that country, Russian forces are in Syria at the invitation of the government in Damascus. Votel argued that the legal basis for the presence of US troops was the “collective self-defense of Iraq” from IS.
“The principle reason we are in Syria is to defeat ISIS, and that remains our sole and single task,” Votel told the lawmakers, echoing last week’s remarks by President Donald Trump.
Declaring the IS largely defeated, Votel cautioned that “Sunni populations remain vulnerable to identity-based recruitment” into terrorist groups, adding that “impressionable youth in this tumultuous region, seeking community and justice, are highly susceptible to extremists’ teachings.”
CENTCOM’s Gen. Votel: “Moscow is playing the role of arsonist and firefighter – fueling the conflict in Syria between the Syrian Regime, YPG, and Turkey, then claiming to serve as an arbiter to resolve the dispute.” pic.twitter.com/yEcPGCnJkB
Votel made no acknowledgment of any role Russia’s intervention in Syria has played in the demise of IS. Rather, the general had some harsh words for Moscow, accusing Russia of playing “arsonist and firefighter,” fueling the conflict in Syria and then “claiming to serve as an arbiter to resolve the dispute.” As Votel explained, Moscow was offering diplomatic alternatives to “Western-led political negotiations” in Syria and Afghanistan.
Russia’s influence in the Central Asian countries that were formerly parts of the Soviet Union is “problematic,” as that could “limit US engagement options” and endanger NATO’s supply lines into Afghanistan, Votel said.
The general described Russia and Iran as “historic rivals” who nonetheless share interests, “including an overarching desire to sideline, if not expel, the US from the region.” The Russian and Persian empires did fight a series of wars over the Caucasus from 1651 to 1828. Iran was an ally of Washington from the 1953 CIA coup to the 1979 Islamic revolution, at which point the two countries became bitter enemies.
This is reflected in Votel’s testimony, in which he refers to common Washington tropes about Iranian imperialism and the “Shia crescent” from Iran to Lebanon. However, the CENTCOM chief seemed to backtrack from the previous narrative about the war in Yemen being instigated by Iran, choosing to describe it as a civil war in which Iran intervened to harm its regional rival Saudi Arabia.
“The conflict in Yemen has opened opportunities for Iran, which continues to provide support to the Houthis with the aim of building a proxy to pressure the Saudi-led coalition and expand its sphere of influence,” Votel said. He also revealed that the US has increased the number of advisers to the Saudi military over the past year, which should “help mitigate incidents of avoidable civilian casualties in Yemen.”
The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting in Yemen since March 2015, without much success.
Though Votel explicitly denied that Washington’s mission in Syria is to counter Iran, he said that the US should “build [a] strong relationship” with the Iraqi military and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) “to impede Iran’s objectives in establishing lines of communications in these critical areas.”
Intervention by the US-led coalition and “regional powers” – by which Votel presumably meant Turkey – has already “blocked Assad’s ability to recapture major portions of northern Syria,” the general said, referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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He also talked about “ad-hoc democratic organizations” that have been established in territories liberated from IS by the SDF, which rely on US and coalition funding for survival. Continued funding would “help them maintain popular support and set conditions for enduring, stable governance,” said Votel.
However, US efforts to work with the Kurds in northern Syria have been threatened by the recent Turkish military incursion into the Kurdish-held district of Afrin. While the Kurdish militia that are there are not part of the US-backed SDF, there are family and tribal ties between them.
“Our alliance with Turkey is paramount,” Votel said, “but we must continue to urge restraint as their actions have clearly increased risk to our campaign to defeat ISIS.“
The CENTCOM chief also argued that Moscow and Tehran are seeking an end to the Syrian war because they are pouring “billions of dollars” in aid into Damascus.
Yet, in the same hearing, he argued that Russia “has to admit it is not capable or that it doesn’t want to play a role in ending the Syrian conflict,” and that Moscow’s role was “incredibly destabilizing.” No explanation was offered for the discrepancy.
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South Korea and the United States have decided to launch a postponed joint military exercise despite warnings by North Korea that the move may jeopardize a nascent rapprochement between Pyongyang and Seoul.
Yonhap news agency cited a South Korean presidential security adviser as saying that the joint military drills would start in early April.
The exercises were originally planned for an earlier date; however, they were postponed until after the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in South Korea — which will end in mid-March — in an effort not to provoke North Korea, which decided to take part in the Games in the territory of its rival South.
The news agency quoted Moon Chung-in, the South Korean security adviser, as saying at a seminar in Washington that he was “aware the drills will begin in the first week of April.”
Moon expressed hope that dialog would begin between Pyongyang and Washington. He also said that in “talks between…
Amid all the anti-gun hysteria these days, it’s important to remember just how useful firearms actually are. They allow people who would otherwise be victims to defend themselves.
A prime example of this comes out of Oklahoma where a mother and daughter took on the guy trying to rob their family-owned liquor store. It did not work out well for him.
The two women spoke out about the incident, as well.
When the gunman turned away, the women said they grabbed guns of their own and opened fire.
They said all they could think about was saving the other’s life.
“The next thing I know that I have my gun and I’m shooting him. And I get up and I shoot him again, and he just keeps coming back to me,” said Ring. 2: Gun Digest Book of … Massad Ayoob Best Price: $19.06 Buy New $19.36 (as of 09:50 EST – Details)
The alleged robber was shot in the leg but he didn’t give up.
He grabbed Ring, pistol whipped her and then tried to go after her daughter.
“Until you have a gun waving at you, you don’t know what you’re gonna be thinking. It happened so fast, but it seemed like it lasted for so long,” said Lee.
Lee was able to squeeze off another round at point-blank range, shooting the man.
The would-be robber was in critical condition.
There will probably be a few folks who argue that, had they not engaged the robber, all would have been fine. To be fair, it might have.
But then again, it might not have. People get murdered in robberies like this far too often. Because of that, these two women were clearly in fear of their lives and acted accordingly. As a result, they’re here and relatively unharmed while their attacker is now in critical condition.
Russia says it’s setting up humanitarian corridors in the Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta to allow civilians to leave the war-ravaged district. Moscow says it will launch daily five-hour pauses,…
South Africa’s parliament on Tuesday passed a motion brought by the radical left party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), to carry out land expropriation without compensation, a key pillar of the ruling ANC government and new President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Very concerning news emanating from South Africa. The EFF’s white land confiscation bill just passed through parliament with 74% approval. Africans can now legally take white-owned land without compensation. #LandExpropriationhttps://t.co/p9vk5lyW9Y
The motion, which would include a review of the constitution, was sponsored by leader of the EFF Julius Malema and was passed by an overwhelming majority of 241 votes in favour versus 83 votes against the proposal.
“We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land,” Malema told parliament while presenting the motion.
The African National Congress (ANC), amended the motion, but supported it, with its deputy chief whip, Dorries Eunice Dlakude saying the party “recognizes that the current policy instruments, including the willing-buyer willing-seller policy and other provisions of section 25 of the constitution may be hindering effective land reform.”
In his first state of the nation address two weeks ago, Ramaphosa made a direct appeal to poorer black voters – the core of the ANC’s electoral support base – saying he would aim to speed up the transfer of…
Humanity has lived in relative peace since the end of World War II.
This period, dubbed the ‘long peace’, has seen fewer large-scale wars and battlefield deaths compared with the past two centuries.
But is this a long-term trend or could we be on the brink of a massive war?
According to a new study, conflicts as large as the WII occur on average every 205 years – so it will be another 100 years before we know for sure whether the ‘long peace’ is here to stay.
The long peace began after WWII and has held for more than 70 years.
Political scientists argue that various 20th century developments reduced the risk of global conflicts during this period.
These include the spread of democracy, increased economic interdependence, and the threat of nuclear war, according to a report in Science.
Imagine being so unpopular that your biggest social media success is an apology. Well for Ben Bradley it’s now reality after the hapless MP’s grovel to Jeremy Corbyn was shared more than all Tory Party tweets in 2018…combined!
Twitter sharks circled around the Tory MP for Mansfield, Nottingham, this week as he made a humiliating apology to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The bottom of Bradley’s world fell out when he falsely accused Corbyn – also on Twitter – of “selling British secrets” to “communists.”
Bradley’s post came after the Sun published accusations last week from former Czechoslovakian spy Jan Sarkocy. Who alleged that the now-Labour leader was a paid informer of country’s communist-era secret police, the StB.
The Tory however took things a little bit further with his tweet, soon prompting online outrage. Corbyn’s supporters quickly began urging him to take legal action against Bradley for libel. The Labour leader obliged, his lawyers contacting the MP and ordering the removal of the Tweet, a full apology and a donation of a substantial sum of money to charity.
Bradley’s subsequent tweeted apology has been shared on the site 57,000 times – more than the combined number of shares for the @Conservatives’ 300 official Twitter posts since January 1.
Quite funny that this is your most successful tweet
In the ongoing back-and-forth over migrant rights, the US Supreme Court has lifted the time limit immigrants can be held without bond. This comes a day after US President Trump failed to end childhood migrants’ privileges.
The court voted 5-3 to strike down a San Francisco 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to give detained immigrants the right to a six-month maximum wait for bond hearings. The controversial ruling could lead to increased instances where immigrants, even legally vetted ones, could be detained indefinitely without a future hearing in sight.
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch presided over the case and several conservative justices obtained the majority vote, with three liberal justices voting against the measure and one abstaining.
Justice Stephen Breyer immediately protested the ruling, stating that, “No one can claim, nor since the time of slavery has anyone to my knowledge successfully claimed, that persons held within the United States are totally without constitutional protection,” as quoted by Reuters.
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An official court opinion was released on the same day, citing Jennings v. Rodriguez. That trial involved US permanent resident Alejandro Rodriguez, who was convicted in 2004 of joyriding and misdemeanor drug possession while working as a dental assistant. Due to his legal stance, he was placed under mandatory detention and denied the chance to receive a bond hearing for 3 years. Rodriguez was eventually released in 2007 and launched civil proceedings in response.
“We are required in this case to decide ‘questions of law,’ specifically, whether, contrary to the decision of the Court of Appeals, certain statutory provisions require detention without a bond hearing,” the document states.
The decision comes just a day after the US Supreme Court overturned Trump’s proposal to nullify the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era initiative granting special privileges to “dreamers,” or undocumented migrants that came to the US as children. There is currently no legislation in place to offer dreamers permanent protection.
Another case, Inland Empire – Immigrant Youth Collective. vs. Kirstjen Nielsen, awarded protections to dreamers that were given residency to live and work in the US. The class action lawsuit was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with its Southern California branch.
“The court certified a nationwide class and issued a nationwide injunction blocking the administration from terminating class members’ DACA grants and work permits without notice, an explanation, and an opportunity to respond. The court also reinstated reinstated the DACA grants and work permits of class members who have already had them unlawfully revoked by the government,” wrote the ACLU.
A UN Security Council resolution regarding Yemen, that was suggested by Russia, has been adopted unanimously. On Monday, Russia had vetoed a draft resolution that condemned Iran over actions…
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Edinburgh will refuse to agree to London’s planned Brexit deal with the European Union, arguing that the exit bill would undermine the whole foundation on which the UK devolution system was built.
Sturgeon made the announcement in an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, a day after the British government said it expected to reach an agreement with the devolved nations – Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – on how power would be shared after the Britain’s separation from the 28-member bloc.
“We are simply trying to protect the powers that the Scottish Parliament already has – things like agriculture, fishing, environmental policy, food standards, justice and health. These are all currently responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament,” Sturgeon said.
“At the moment we have to exercise those powers within the confines of European law, but after Brexit, in terms of the devolution…
Visit https://democracynow.org to watch the full independent, global news hour, read the transcript, search our archive and to make a donation to support us. Democracy Now! is an independent…
The U.N.’s humanitarian chief described the “catastrophic” conditions that exist in Yemen today:
In a speech read by UN director of humanitarian operations John Ging, Lowcock said that 8.4 million Yemenis “are severely food insecure” and about 400,000 children under the age of 5 “are so severely malnourished they are 10 times likelier to die without treatment than their healthy peers.”
Yemen’s crisis is by far the worst in the world just by the sheer numbers affected and the severity of the conditions, and it is made even more so by the fact that the crisis could be quickly alleviated if the coalition halted its bombing campaign and lifted its blockade. If Yemen were allowed to resume normal commerce with the outside world and a sustained relief effort were made, the most dire, worst-case scenarios could be averted. That won’t help the tens of thousands who have already perished from preventable causes, but it could still preserve the lives of millions at risk of dying from starvation and preventable disease.
Next month will be the third anniversary of the start of the Saudi-led war on Yemen, and with each passing year conditions inside Yemen have grown significantly worse. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is not only the world’s worst, but it was probably the most widely predicted and easily prevented crisis of at least the last twenty-five years. It was obvious in the spring of 2015 that escalating the conflict and blockading an import-dependent country would result in widespread hunger and disease, but the many warnings that this would happen went unheeded. As we approach the spring of 2018, the things that opponents of the intervention warned would happen have happened and in some ways conditions are even worse than anyone anticipated. No one can claim that these terrible developments were unforeseeable, and no one can claim that they were unavoidable.
The crisis in Yemen is a man-made one caused in large part by the deliberate policy choices of the coalition governments and their Western enablers, and the crisis continues because they choose to continue it. The people of Yemen need a major, coordinated international response to end the war and avert mass starvation, but such a response still seems as far away as ever. The very least that the U.S. can do is to stop participating in this disgraceful war. Congress should vote to halt all US military assistance to coalition governments.
Daniel Larison is a senior editor at The American Conservative, where he also keeps a solo blog. He has been published in the New York Times Book Review, Dallas Morning News, Orthodox Life, Front Porch Republic, The American Scene, and Culture11, and is a columnist for The Week. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, and resides in Dallas. Follow him on Twitter. This article is reprinted fromThe American Conservativewith permission.
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their operation in eastern Ghouta, the Harasta area being a focal point, on Monday despite the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) mandate for a nationwide…
https://democracynow.org – A shocking new investigation by Reveal and the Center for Investigative Reporting has uncovered evidence that African Americans and Latinos continue to be routinely…
Monday’s “Workers’ Day of Action,” organized by AFL-CIO affiliates and labor groups, aimed to show the labor movement’s opposition to a verdict for the plaintiffs in Janus v. AFSCME, which begins oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Monday. Unions fear their power will be diminished if the Court rules against AFSCME, as it is expected to do, and restricts public-sector unions from collecting fees from non-members to pay for collective bargaining. The Right intends to use Janus to gut public employee unions, weakening what is the strongest constituency in organized labor. This in turn will greatly diminish labor’s strength as a progressive force.
Public employee unions are right to be worried, and yet, as today’s demonstrations evidenced, on the eve of oral arguments labor is still grappling with how to protect workers’ rights. The protest’s slogan, “It’s about freedom,” mimics the Right’s own language when it argues that unions shouldn’t be able to collect fees from workers who don’t want to pay. In fact, it’s about social justice: The struggle to protect collective bargaining is a fight for the dignity of work and working people.
How then can public employee unions and the labor movement transition from defense to offense, winning economic and political demands? Must a defeat in Janus mean the end of public employee unions? A movement of school employees in West Virginia is providing answers to these questions, showing organized labor how workers can defend their rights without the legal protections that unions rely upon: the right to strike and the right to bargain collectively.
West Virginia bars strikes by public employees and, as a so-called “right to work” state, bans unions from requiring that everyone represented by a bargaining unit become a dues-paying member. Yet, despite this hostile legal environment, school employees, led primarily by teachers, organized walkouts that resulted in closure of schools in every county on Thursday and Friday….
The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a former student gunned down 15 children and two teachers has prompted some of the teenage survivors of the massacre to speak out. They have organized marches and contacted legislators, asking them to enact stricter gun control legislation. Lina Crisostomo, a student at Stoneman Douglas, argues that “If this keeps happening and nothing is done, none of us are safe.” Their organizing and activism have had an effect. Florida’s state legislature is considering raising the legal age to own a gun but has stopped short of banning semi-automatic weapons like those used in numerous school shootings. Jose Oliva, a Republican congressman from Miami, said, “the tremendous civic outpouring of these children” is largely responsible for newly reconsidered proposals for gun legislation.
Not everyone is happy with these developments, however. Some commentators have framed the high schoolers’ efforts as the collective result of manipulation on the part of anti-gun activists. One such pundit, Ben Shapiro, writes in the National Review that these “lumps of mental clay” have been driven to rash behavior and are essentially puppets of “the Left.” He asks, incredulously, “What, pray tell, did these students do to earn their claim to expertise?” One might answer that, unlike Shapiro, they can speak to the mental and physical effects of gun violence.
Imagine an international currency backed by energy? By a raw material that the entire world needs, not gold – which has hardly any productive use, but whose value is mostly speculative – not hot air like the US dollar. Not fiat money like the US-dollar and the Euro largely made by private banks without any economic substance whatsoever, and which are coercive. But a currency based on the very source for economic output – energy.
On February 20, 2018, Venezuela has launched the “Petro” (PTR), a government-made and controlled cryptocurrency, based on Venezuela’s huge petrol reserves of about 301 billion barrels of petrol. The Petro’s value will fluctuate with the market price of petrol, currently around US $61 per barrel of crude. The Petro was essentially created to avoid and circumvent illegal US sanctions, dollar blockades, confiscations of assets abroad, as well as to escape illegal manipulations from Florida of the Bolivarian Republic’s local currency, the Bolívar, via the black-market dollars flooding Venezuela; and, not least, to trade internationally in a non-US-dollar linked currency. The Petro is a largely government controlled blockchain currency, totally outside the reach of the US Federal Reserve (FED) and Wall Street – and it is based on the value of the world’s key energy, hydrocarbons, of which Venezuela has the globe’s largest proven reserves.
In a first batch Venezuela released 100 million Petros, backed by 5.342 billion…
In a surprising show of discontent with one of California’s most enduring political leaders, the state Democratic Party declined to make an endorsement in this year’s U.S. Senate race on Sunday, snubbing Sen. Dianne Feinstein in her bid for a fifth full term.
Her main challenger, State Senate leader Kevin de León, won the support of 54 percent of delegates at the state party convention here this weekend, short of the 60 percent needed to secure the party’s endorsement. Feinstein received only 37 percent of the votes.
The rebuke of Feinstein by the party delegates comes even though the 25-year incumbent has led polls by wide margins and received the backing of political luminaries like Sen. Kamala Harris and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Tory MP Sarah Wollaston warned Prime Minister Theresa May that a “huge” majority will back a post-Brexit customs union. Her comments align with Labour, after Jeremy Corbyn endorsed the policy yesterday.
Chair of the Health Select Committee Wollaston insisted that her warning was not an attempt to bring down the government. Rather, the MP stated, it was giving May room to maneuver against Brexiteers in her party.
Wollaston’s comments come only days after 62 Tory Brexiteers signed a letter to the Prime Minister with what they called their “suggestions” for leaving the bloc. Their ideas included hard Brexit pipedreams of leaving the single market and pursuing an independent trade policy outside the customs union.
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The MP suggested that many members of the Conservative party shared her view that a customs arrangement of some type would be better for all. “It’s not about trying to force Theresa May to resign, of course I don’t want to see that, but in some ways I do think it may help her,” Wollaston said on the BBC’s Newsnight program.
“She will then be able to turn around to the 62 who were sort of threatening to force her into a leadership contest. It will enable her to explain the reality. The simple reality is this – that there isn’t a parliamentary majority for a hard Brexit and it allows her to go back to them [and] say ‘Love to help, I’ve done my best.’”
When Wollaston was asked what the majority in Parliament would be for a customs deal if there was a free vote, she said: “Huge, because we know there are very many ministers and many many PPS’s and other people who are currently not able to sign amendments who would very much like to see us come to ‘a customs arrangement’ of some sort. So I think this will help her.”
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Wollaston said she and her fellow pro-European colleagues weren’t trying to start a coup. The Conservative said they were just giving Theresa May more room to move.
On Monday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn committed the opposition to a customs union with continued tariff-free trade with the EU. The Labour party has taken more than a year to outline its position on Brexit and explain how it would proceed with the split, which will see Britain become the first nation to leave the 28-member-state bloc.
The Labour leader’s pledge to keep Britain in the customs union post-Brexit would mean the nation could not sign its own trade deals with non-EU countries after Brexit. This would keep the country tied to certain rules and regulations set in Brussels.
In a fine example of the strange political bedfellows Brexit has generated, former Tory Chancellor George Osborne endorsed Corbyn’s speech while attacking his own party’s position. In his editorial for the Evening Standard, Osborne highlighted Tory hypocrisy and the party’s weak response to the opposition leader’s newly-unveiled stance on Brexit.
May is expected to further set out her position on trade agreements with the EU this Friday. She will present a speech, another in the latest in a series of ‘Road to Brexit’ addresses that seek to outline the government’s direction for the EU negotiations and a post-Brexit UK.
Recycling advocate Eric Lundgren, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison for making free Windows recovery discs, told RT that he will use his appeal to continue fighting against planned obsolescence by Microsoft and others.
“I was very, very shocked when I was given a prison sentence for extending the lifecycle of electronics, practicing recycling and trying to empower people,” Lundgren said of the one year and three months conviction handed to him by a Florida court earlier in February.
Lundgren was found guilty of “conspiracy and copyright infringement” after burning 28,000 copies of recovery discs for Windows back in 2016, despite the fact that the CDs, which had absolutely no retail value, were seized by the authorities. He was also slapped with a $50,000 fine but luckily avoided repaying $420,000 that Microsoft sought in restitution for lost sales.
The CDs are used to “clean up” aging operating systems, which would reduce system cluttering and slowdown and also extend the lifespan of computers.
“I still don’t think I was breaking the law,” the recycling advocate insisted. “I think I’ve just gotten in the way of Microsoft’s agenda, which is to sell more operating systems, even at the cost of planned obsolescence, pushing the hazardous material (in computers) into landfills that then leaches harmful chemicals in our water. I’m against that. I’m here to fight planned obsolescence. ”
Lundgren’s recycling company processes more than 18,000 tons of electronic waste annually, working with such giants as IBM and Motorola. The entrepreneur said he printed the Windows restore discs to be used with refurbished computers in order to “make sure that we keep as much working electronic product from landfills as possible.” He added that he never intended to cash in on them. Lundgren accuses Microsoft and other electronic producers of intentionally making their PCs complicated in order to stimulate sales of new models.
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“I know that if you were to make copies of their licenses or there Certificates of Authenticity (COA) – you’re directly stealing from Microsoft and you deserve to go to prison, but if you’re providing the restore CDs, which is the thing that you can download for free online… you’re giving the people an ability to repair their legally owned property. And I see no problem with that,” the 33-year-old said.
“I’ve been a recycler for 16 years and all I care about is the environment,” Lundgren said, denying piracy accusations. He added that Microsoft had no right to put him “in that same circle with the people that are out there hacking or stealing their licenses.”
Lundgren has done a lot of charity work in the US and abroad over the years, including electronic waste cleanup in Ghana and China. He has also donated thousands of cellphones to American soldiers deployed overseas. His work has not gone unnoticed, as he has been given a second chance to avoid prison and explain himself.
A federal appeals court has granted an emergency stay of the sentence in his case, which does not happen very often. Lundgren’s appeal is pending before the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the date of the hearing has yet to be announced. “Eleventh Circuit did the right thing by looking into this,” he said.
“I’m fighting this battle and I’m hoping that the more transparency occurs in my case the more people would understand” the harmful effect of planned obsolescence and the need for extending the lifecycle of electronic devices, Lundgren said. He also shared his hopes that the appeals court would “realize that there was absolutely zero evidence in the process of convicting me in regard to the valuation of a restore CD. The restore CD has no value…”
“I hope they won’t let this go any further,” he concluded.
Police have been deployed in cities throughout the country to handle rallies, which either defend or condemn centre-right parties. Security forces expect further protests during the elections…
Ever wonder how the television, radio and newspaper people select whom they are going to interview or get quotes from when they are reporting the news or producing a feature? I do. What I’ve learned is that they go to guests that are connected with the established powers—such as think tanks in Washington, D.C. that work on “the military industrial complex” policy (to borrow President Eisenhower’s words) and somehow lean toward more war mongering (e.g. NPR and the U.S.-Iran relationship) or backing more weapon systems (such as a new nuclear bomb arsenal and more F-35s and air craft carriers).
You won’t be hearing from MIT Professor Emeritus Ted Postal on the chronic failures of the anti-ballistic missile program (spending $13 billion this coming year).
Whether it is NPR, PBS, the network news programs, the Sunday news interview shows and too often the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal their interviewees are the defenders of the status quo or those with corporatists’ viewpoints.
These news outlets seem oblivious to the blatant economic conflicts of interest inherent in groups such as the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and professors who moonlight with corporations. These interviewees have economic and ideological axes to grind that are not disclosed to the general viewers, listeners and readers, when they are merely described as “experts.”
There are real experts and specialists, with no axe to grind, who are so ignored by the media that they have almost become nonpersons, despite their past proven records of achievements for the public interest, and for the people’s well-being.
Here are some examples of experienced people whose veracity and honesty you can take to the press and media outlets:
David Freeman, probably the most knowledgeable, experienced authority on energy in the United States. A lawyer and engineer, he was an advisor to Presidents, Governors, ran four major utilities, including the giant Tennessee Valley Authority. He was also the author of key studies on energy policies starting in the nineteen seventies and presently is negotiating the shutdown of California’s last atomic energy plant with its owner, Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation.
Nicholas Johnson, former FCC Commissioner, author of many books and timely commentaries on communications subjects (e.g. “How to Talk Back to Your TV Set”) and has been teaching at the University of Iowa Law School.
Karen Ferguson, head of Pension Rights Center since the mid-seventies, has been involved in Congressional policies, judicial decisions, organizing retirees to assert their rights and generally watchdogging the increasing pension crisis in our country.
Jamie Love, the expert on drug patent abuses, drug industry pricing power, international efforts to counteract these “pay or die” policies. He has been a major figure in bringing down the price of AIDS drugs for developing countries.
Rena Steinzor, law professor, author of books such as Why Not Jail?, organizer of the Center for Progressive Reform and corporate crime specialist.
Janine Jackson, long-time media critic documenting weekly noteworthy bias, censorship and commercial distortion of the news.
Danielle Brian, director of the Project on Government Oversight has had much to say accurately about the massive military budget, redundant weapon systems and their waste, fraud and abuse over three decades.
Jesselyn Radack, former Justice Department lawyer, represents whistleblowers on national security wrongdoing and is an acknowledged legal expert on free speech in these sensitive areas.
Greg LeRoy, directs Good Jobs First and knows a great deal about corporate welfare, giveaways to sports stadiums, Amazon and the whole ‘business development’ subsidies at the local and state level in the U.S. He is the author, among other publications, of The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation.
Mark Green, one of the nation’s experts on campaign finance rackets and reform, author of over twenty books, including Losing Our Democracy, and experienced as a candidate in New York State elections.
Ralf Hotchkiss, former MacArthur Genius awardee, inventor and founder of Whirlwind Wheelchair and a successful advocate for people with disabilities having mobility without having to pay monopoly prices for shoddy wheelchairs in the U.S. and developing countries.
Lois Gibbs, coming out of the Love Canal tragedies in Niagara Falls, NY, she organized arguably the leading grass roots movements against poisoning of neighborhoods around the country. She is an accomplished author, a speaker and is the director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, which works with hundreds of local citizen fighters for health and safety.
Some of the above were featured in the mass media years ago; others have been relegated to the shadows of our public news and features for almost their entire careers. The slanted selections by media gatekeepers are getting worse. Increasingly, TV and radio anchors interview their own reporters, not experts like Robert McIntyre, lawyer and founder of the highly regarded Citizens for Tax Justice. Too often the Sunday network TV political shows tap into the same stable of Washington pundits and commentators.
Readers and viewers can make their own lists of media-excluded, knowledgeable persons, be they at the local, state or national levels. On our public airwaves, after the FCC repealed the “Fairness Doctrine” in 1987, bloviators such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, completely dominate our airtime with their corporatist and hate-filled soliloquies. These “champions” of the free market have no problem using the public airwaves free of charge. As owners of the public airwaves and buyers of print journalism, let’s demand higher standards for experts in journalism. Let’s demand that the media seek out people who know their facts and work in the people’s interest and give them airtime.
https://democracynow.org – On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a key case that could deal a massive blow to public unions nationwide. The case, Janus v. American Federation…
The World Socialist Web Site calls for the urgent mobilization of all sections of the working class to support striking West Virginia teachers.
More than 20,000 teachers and other school employees in the state have taken a courageous stand to demand the right to living wages, affordable health benefits and high-quality public education. The statewide walkout, now in its fourth day, is being waged in defiance of reactionary laws banning public employee strikes.
The teachers and school employees are fighting for the whole working class. Their fight has pit them against the entire political establishment, from Governor Jim Justice, a billionaire coal baron, to the Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature who are controlled by the energy, chemical and pharmaceutical corporations.
The state government has given teachers an ultimatum: Either accept an insulting 4 percent wage increase over the next three years, which will be more than eaten up by rising healthcare costs, or the state will fine, fire and even jail teachers if they continue their walkout.
Teachers are determined to fight, but they cannot wage this battle on their own! They confront a ruling class, which controls all levers of political power, and is determined to defend their ill-gotten wealth by impoverishing the working class.
The WSWS urges teachers to form rank-and-file committees to issue an appeal for coordinated action of all workers. We call on miners, public sector workers, autoworkers and other sections of the working class, students and youth,to form committees andorganize meetings to discussimmediatemeasures to assist teachers and prevent any effort to victimize or fire them.
Firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement have responded to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall for a hazmat situation involving an unknown substance that was mailed to the base.
Firefighters were first dispatched to Henderson Hall, the headquarters of the U.S. Marine Corps, just after 4:30 p.m. for a hazmat call. Ft. Myer, Arlington County and Alexandria firefighters and hazmat units are all on scene, as is an “EMS task force” that is usually dispatched to mass casualty incidents.
Initial reports suggest that a certified letter was opened in one of the buildings and that it contained some sort of potentially hazardous substance, prompting an evacuation of the building and the deployment of an emergency decontamination station.
Eleven people were treated for symptoms and three were transported to the hospital in stable condition, according to the Arlington County Fire Department. Symptoms included a nose bleed and a burning sensation, according to initial reports.
A Marine Corps official released a statement saying that the base was coordinating with the FBI.
“An envelope containing an unknown substance was received, today, aboard Joint Base Ft. Myer-Henderson Hall,” the statement said. “Personnel in the affected building took immediate preventative measures by evacuating the building. Base officials are coordinating with local hazmat teams and the FBI. Several Marines are receiving medical care as a result of this incident.”
For those of you who are new to the public debate about All Things Guns that has sprung up since the Parkland, FL tragedy, this brief primer is for you whether you are a mommy, daddy, guardian or teacher of school-age children. Most of all, if you are a politician or reporter, this one has your name on it.
A basic Google search for “guns” returns 299,000,000 results in 0.52 seconds. So why another gun article? The cacophony of stultifying idiocy polluting media outlets via the Evening News, talk radio “commentary”, wasting untold newsprint and bandwidth demands it. Never has the old saw, “He only knows enough to be dangerous” been more evident than in the blatherings of those who have swallowed whole the mistruths, half-truths and outright lies on everything from “firearm terminology” to the “gun show loophole.” Indeed, many of the spouting pundits hosing audiences with their indubitable certitude are motivated by an evil political agenda that has been marinated in decades of gun grabbing propaganda, fear mongering elitism. And worse. (See MSDNC’s “Morning Joe”)
Sadly, strewing scary stuff stifles any rational discussion about guns. Anti-gun groups are using “NRA!” as the new pejorative replacing “RACIST!” as their trump card to shut down dangerously productive conversations. Claiming “we need a public debate about guns” really means “STFU and do it my way!”
To navigate this swamp of polluted palaver, here are just a few of the 372 Unadulterated Truths you can memorize and deploy in next big argument at work or Chuck E. Cheese. They are also suitable to Cut ‘N Paste or carve into other suitable persuasive materials for more formal situations.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried, shut down indefinitely on Sunday in protest against a new Israeli tax policy and draft…
https://democracynow.org – As the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia begin probes into racist lending practices, Pennsylvania state Senator Vincent Hughes urges constituents…
Infowars editor-at-large Paul Joseph Watson has been called out for misquoting Hitler. Guardian columnist Owen Jones revealed that the passage used by Watson wasn’t uttered by Hitler at all – but by a man he murdered.
Watson, who works for Alex Jones’ Infowars, tweeted a quote he attributed to Adolf Hitler, which read: “We are socialists, enemies, mortal enemies of today’s capitalist economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with unfair salaries…”
The Twitterati was quick to point out that the statement belonged to one Gregor Strasser, an early prominent German Nazi official and rival to Hitler. Strasser was murdered in 1934 during the Night of the Long Knives.
False. This quote belongs to Gregor Strasser (who Hitler killed in 1934).
The Nazis used ‘Socialist’ as a cynical ploy to win working-class support. Hitler was helped to power by big business (who backed him) and Germany’s traditional right – and liquidated the left and labour. https://t.co/GNZAK26GiV
Watson soon received a response from self-confessed socialist Jones. “The Nazis used ‘socialist’ as a cynical ploy to win working-class support,” Jones said. “Hitler was helped to power by big business (who backed him) and Germany’s traditional right – and liquidated the left and labour.”
Here’s Hitler in Mein Kampf on why the Nazis chose the colour ‘red’, for example – quite literally to piss off the left as well as to gain a hearing from their followers. pic.twitter.com/cZbZFSdQdk
Some in the Twittersphere decided to pile in on the feud. Watson’s face is now all over the internet, accompanied by collections of obscure, bizarre, and totally inaccurate quotes.
Eleven people became ill at a US military base in Arlington, Virginia, a short walk away from the Pentagon, after opening a suspicious letter. Three were taken to the hospital after a hazardous material situation was declared.
The Arlington Fire Department responded to a hazardous material call at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall at 4:30 p.m. local time. Fire crews and hazmat units rushed to the scene. Three people were taken to the hospital and are currently in a stable condition, Arlington County Fire Department reported on Twitter.
#Update: Ft Myer, 3 transported patients in stable condition. Command is scaling back incident starting to put some units in service. Investigation ongoing.
At least five people were displaying symptoms such as nose bleeds and itching after coming in contact with the substance, according to local news outlet ARLnow. The roads leading to the base have been sealed by police, it reported.
The base was evacuated as a precaution, a Marine official said, according to ABC News. The US Marine Corps reported on Twitter that “several Marines are receiving medical care as a result of this incident.” The response to the situation has been coordinated with the FBI, it said.
Base officials are coordinating with local HAZMAT teams and @FBI. Several Marines are receiving medical care as a result of this incident. No additional details are available at this time as the investigation is ongoing.
A corporal, a gunnery sergeant and a colonel were among those who showed the symptoms, CNN reported. It is unclear who initially handled the letter or what substance was involved. The base hosts both civilian and military personnel.
Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall is located just across the Arlington National Cemetery from the Pentagon, the seat of the US Department of Defense, just over a mile (about two kilometers) away.
Civilians could not leave eastern Ghouta on Tuesday as humanitarian corridors had been shelled by militants, Russian General Viktor Pankov said RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT!…
The United States should “step out of the way” for the Korean Peninsula to find peace rather than continuing its “aggressive” approach, a political expert suggests.
“The two governments in Korea appear both to have the inclination and also the political space to not only drive down the rhetoric and the threat of war but to actually start reaching some agreement together,” said Don DeBar, a political commentator and radio host based in New York, in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday.
He further suggested that the administration of US President Donald Trump should soften its rhetoric against North Korea for peace to flourish on the peninsula.
“The North has always wanted to have an accommodation,” he continued. “President Trump has been so aggressive rhetorically with North Korea and he has certainly done whatever he needed to for the base to not look weak on Korea.”
COURTESY: WCHS A massive rock slide blocked a road near Chesapeake, Ohio, close to the West Virginia border. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_cen…
Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says her extramarital affair that led to the impeachment of Former US President Bill Clinton “was not sexual assault,” but “constituted a gross abuse of power.”
The 44-year-old made the comment in a report published by the Vanity Fair magazine on Tuesday, reflecting on events after the #MeToo movement born in the wake of the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
“There are even some people who feel my White House experiences don’t have a place in this movement, as what transpired between Bill Clinton and myself was not sexual assault, although we now recognize that it constituted a gross abuse of power,” Lewinsky said.
“Now, at 44, I’m beginning to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern,” she added.
Clinton, then 49, and 22-year-old Lewinsky started a sexual relationship in 1995 in the White…
An opinion piece in The Atlantic(2/17/19) takes issue with the phenomenon of people sharing their opinions: “Twitter’s socially conscious denizens probably only realized they should be outraged at Weiss after they saw other people being outraged.”
Which journalists need protecting and which are deemed expendable tells us a lot about media priorities.
New York Times editorial page deputy editor Bari Weiss—a boilerplate neocon warmonger, anti-Arab racist, and sexual abuse soft-peddler—got into hot water when she sent a tweet last week praising Asian-American Mirai Nagasu (born in California) for being “an immigrant” who “got things done.” When several people noted not only that Nagasu was born in the US–and thus not an immigrant–but that the assumption that Asian-Americans are inherently foreign is a pervasive, deeply toxic trope that should be apologized for, Weiss had a classic Twitter meltdown, ending in claims that animosity leveled at her was “another sign of civilization’s end.”
Right on cue, fellow blue-checkmark Serious People rushed to her defense, most prominently—and uniformly—from the ultimate arbiter of seriousness, Atlantic Magazine. The centrist outlet published not one but two articles on the topicof Twitter being mean to Weiss: “The Excesses of Call-Out Culture“ by Conor Friedersdorf (2/19/18) and “Bari Weiss and the Left-Wing Infatuation With Taking Offense” by Shadi Hamid (2/17/19).
Other Atlantic staff writers chimed in with their outrage on Twitter. “Not taking offense easily is as important a moral commitment—and perhaps even more productive of mental health—as not giving offense carelessly,” The Atlantic’s David Frum tweeted out in solidarity.
The Atlantic’s Julia Ioffe added in an exhaustive five-tweet thread:
Thread: I love Bari Weiss. I don’t always agree with her, but I have always found Bari to be a brilliant, interesting, hilarious, and engaging person. I hate Twitter. It’s a useful resource but is also home to roving bands of echo-chamber outrage. On both sides.
Extreme-centrist Ioffe was certain to get the “both sides” in there, just so people know how Serious and Reasonable her perspective was.
In response to a well-paid editor under siege from mean people on Twitter for saying something mindlessly racist, then doubling down and playing victim, one of the nation’s most influential magazines marshaled its tremendous influence and intellectual resources to defend her.
As FAIR has noted several times before (9/26/18), two journalists, as well as scores of protesters, faced decades in federal prison for simply being in the proximity of a few broken windows during Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration in Washington, DC. This official action sent “a chilling message to journalists covering future protests,” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit focusing on press freedom. How many articles on this unprecedented attack on free speech did The Atlantic run? How many hot takes defending Santa Fe Reporter staff writer and editor at the New Inquiry Aaron Cantú, facing 75 years in federal prison, were penned by Friedersdorf, Frum, Ioffe and Hamid? How many did they write about independent photojournalist Alexei Wood, who was threatened with a similar sentence before being acquitted by a jury last December?
Zero. None. Not one mention of Cantu or Wood in The Atlantic since their detention and indictment in early 2017.
Actual threats on journalists—with actual prison sentences and actual legal fees resulting in an actual chilling effect—are met with a yawn, because those affected aren’t in the club, or in favor with the Extreme Center’s positions on perma-war, Israel and Russia fearmongering; while mild Twitter-dragging by people with 344 followers and rose-emoji AVIs is a national crisis in urgent need of all hands on deck.
When Nation and Outline contributor Sean McElwee confronted Atlantic staff writer Conor Friedersdorf about an unrelated pout session over “free speech” attacks by other obscure leftists, while he ignored the official prosecution of over 100 people for unrest during Trump’s inauguration, Friedersdorf responded:
It is not possible for me to write about *every* free speech abrogation. That I did not write about the one you care about most does not mean I “ignored” it.
And yet ignore it he did, and continues to do. As do Frum, Ioffe, Hamid and Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Because the issue isn’t “free speech” or the problems with “PC” online culture; it’s simply the pundit class protecting its own—while leaving those not in the Serious Person club out to dry.
Rapes are soaring in Britain’s multicultural capital under Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan — but police claim they have no idea what could be behind the increase.
7,613 rapes were recorded in Sadiq Khan’s London in the 12 months to the end of January 2018, compared with 6,392 over the previous year — a rise of almost 20 per cent, the Evening Standard reports.
Some have attempted to attribute the rise to victims being more confident in coming forward, but Khan’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, has admitted that the figures could point to a legitimate “increase in actual sexual violence and rape offending”.
Deputy Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police force Sir Craig Mackey, too, has confessed that “there is something going on with sexual offending in London” — but claimed to be none the wiser when asked at the London Assembly if he could explain what was behind the rise.
“No, is the honest answer. It’s not as simple as saying this is increased confidence. Of course, that plays a part but there is something going on with sexual offending in London that we don’t fully understand, the causes of it. We see the end of it, [but] we don’t understand the causes.”
Sadiq’s London: Knife Crime, Gun Crime, Theft, Burglary, Rape, Homicide all MASSIVELY Up https://t.co/ogq3fCsTtw
A transgender model who branded white people “racist” has been chosen as Labour’s new equalities adviser. The party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, has selected Munroe Bergdorf to work with its LGBT+ advisory group.
The 30-year-old model, from east London, revealed the news on Twitter. Posing next to Corbyn, she wrote: “Thrilled to announce that I’ve been asked to be part of an LGBT+ advisory board for The Labour Party – To advise Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler MP, on issues affecting the LGBT+ community, to help form and push through fairer and more effective policy change.”
Thrilled to announce that I’ve been asked to be part of an LGBT+ advisory board for The Labour Party – To advise Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler MP, on issues affecting the LGBT+ community… pic.twitter.com/v7Be0YtLtE
Bergdorf came to prominence when she became L’Oréal’s first trans model. Her stint for the cosmetics company was short lived, however, as she was fired only days after joining when critics unearthed comments she made in response to the far-right march in Charlottesville, US.
She had previously written about race issues, with one post positing her belief that white people are “drenched” in racism. At the time, she said: “When I stated that ‘all white people are racist’, I was addressing that fact that western society as a whole, is a SYSTEM rooted in white supremacy – designed to benefit, prioritise and protect white people before anyone of any other race. Unknowingly, white people are SOCIALISED to be racist from birth onwards. It is not something genetic. No one is born racist.”
Bergdorf has since said her words were misconstrued. Following the incident, some of her supporters said they would boycott L’Oréal over the issue.
The model, who is prevelant on social media, has taken aim at a number of targets, including the Suffragettes.
FYI – The Suffragettes were white supremacists who were fighting for WHITE womens rights – they specifically left black women out of the movement. It is not 100 years since women got the vote it’s 100 years since WHITE women got the vote. Black women couldnt vote until MUCH later
Tbh the fact that we are celebrating 100 years since women got the vote at the anniversary that white women got the vote. Shows how as a society we prioritise and centre white experiences, placing whiteness as the norm whilst erasing black history.
Following the post, Bergdorf was attacked the activist Caroline Criado Perez, who campaigned for the statue of British feminist Millicent Fawcett to be erected in Parliament Square.
Why do people keep claiming black women didn’t get the vote in 1918? There was no racial component of the law, there was an age & property component.
incredibly lazy and weird to just conflate British history with American history. British history is full of racism and oppression, but it’s not the same as America’s history.
these tweets for example, retweeted thousands of times: completely untrue. why tweet things as fact without checking first? completely erases the activism of women like Sophia Duleep Singh for some cheap RTs pic.twitter.com/3xt1boJb7F
Bergdorf has previously detailed her views on how racism is reproduced in society, arguing it is not something people learn through experience, but is “unconsciously passed down through privilege.”
She stated: “Because most of ya’ll don’t even realise or refuse to acknowledge that your existence, privilege and success as a race is built on the backs, blood and death of people of colour. Your entire existence is drenched in racism. From micro-aggressions to terrorism, you guys built the blueprint for this s–
“Come see me when you realise that racism isn’t learned, it’s inherited and consciously or unconsciously passed down through privilege. Once white people begin to admit that their race is the most violent and oppressive force of nature on Earth… then we can talk. “Until then stay acting shocked about how the world continues to stay f—— at the hands of your ancestors and your heads that remain buried in the sand with hands over your ears.”
A spokesperson for Labour MP Dawn Butler responded: “Dawn is proud to stand with those challenging discrimination. Dawn will consult with the LGBT+ advisory group on a wide-range of LGBT+ issues.”
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The US witnessed an unprecedented spike in anti-Semitism in 2017, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with vandalism and school incidents leading the list. Some of the incidents, however, were fake.
There were almost 2000 anti-Semitic incidents reported across the US in 2017, including physical assaults, bomb threats, vandalism, and attacks on Jewish institutions, according to a report released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuesday.
The number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017 increased by 57 percent compared to 2016, the single largest increase on record and the second-highest number reported since ADL started keeping track in 1979, the organization said. Incidents of vandalism increased 86 percent from 2016, with 952 incidents recorded.
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“These incidents came at a time when we saw a rising climate of incivility, the emboldening of hate groups and widening divisions in society,” said ADL’s CEO and National Director Jonathan A. Greenblatt.
The report reveals that the number of anti-Semitic incidents soared in schools and on college campuses, nearly doubling for the second year in a row. College campuses witnessed a total of 204 incidents in 2017, compared to 108 incidents in 2016.
The vast majority of the incidents fell under the category of “harassment,” which the ADL defines as “where a Jewish person or group of people feel harassed by the perceived anti-Semitic words, spoken or written, or actions of someone else.”
This category includes the 163 bomb threats against Jewish community centers. However, the vast majority of those were actually made by a Jewish teenager living in Israel who was eventually arrested. US federal authorities also believe that the teenager was selling his services on the dark web.
Another half-dozen bomb scares directed at the Jewish community were made by an American journalist, who was imprisoned after he admitted to sending Jewish groups bomb threats in order to intimidate his ex-girlfriend.
Read more
Without these threats, the total number of harassment cases would be 852, which is still an 18 percent increase over the 2016 figure, the ADL said. Yet the cases were included in the total count “because, regardless of the motivation of any specific perpetrator, Jewish communities were repeatedly traumatised by these assaults on their institutions and threats to their safety,” ADL said, noting that they “meet the textbook definition of hate crimes.”
The League says that it “is careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with anti-Semitism.” It does include “cases of picketing of Jewish religious or cultural institutions for purported support for Israel” as incidents of anti-Semitism, however.
The ADL is a US-based, Jewish, pro-Israel organization that is dedicated to eradicating anti-Semitic hate crime. The organization previously attacked the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement designed to put pressure on Israel over its 50-year military occupation of the West Bank.
“At its core BDS is an anti-Semitic movement.” Greenblatt argued at the UN in May 2016.
It is unclear whether the ADL includes pressure from BDS in its definition of anti-Semitism. Given the fact that the BDS movement is frequently active on college campuses, this could significantly alter the number of recorded harassment incidents.
The FBI’s latest data on hate crimes, released in November 2017, showed a three percent increase in anti-Semitic hate crime from 2015 to 2016. Anti-Semitic incidents accounted for just over half of religious hate crimes and about 11 percent of all hate crimes, according to 2016 FBI figures.
“The authorities didn’t want to be branded racists” says Mohammed Shafiq UK as £10m Rotherham child sex abuse inquiry is hampered as only 17% of victims interviewed. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-…
Equitymaster is a financial research publisher based in Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Over dozens of charts, Dr. Faber showed that while growth in the West is slowing, Asia is growing at a tremendous rate.
Dr. Faber is nicknamed “Dr. Doom” for his contrarian and bearish predictions. He warned clients to cash out before the Black Monday stock market crash in 1987, and helped clients profit handsomely as the Japanese stock bubble burst.
Dr. Faber first came to India way back in 1973, but at the time it was difficult for a foreigner to invest in India. That’s changed now and he’s taking advantage.
During his presentation, Dr. Faber said the “end of Western economic and political hegemony” is coming, and Asia’s rise to the top is virtually unstoppable.
Dr. Faber recommends Indian stocks, real estate, bonds and commodities (with an emphasis on precious metals). Over the long run, they should all do very well.
Russian trolls are in the spotlight again. This time, US politicians and mainstream media are accusing them of spreading havoc in American society after the Florida school shooting. Caleb Maupin…
That defeat, should it come to pass, will transform the nation’s public employment sector into one large “right-to-work” jurisdiction, and in the process deliver a huge victory to the most reactionary elements of corporate America and the Republican donor class.
On the surface, the Janus case is about free speech. Below the surface, it’s about stripping public unions—the last bastion of organized labor in America—of their political influence. In an even deeper sense, the case is part and parcel of a long term rightwing project to undermine the social safety net, roll back civil rights, and complete what I and other legal commentators have termed a conservative “judicial counterrevolution,” aimed at reshaping American law by gaining and maintaining control of the Supreme Court.
The plaintiff, Mark Janus, is a child-support specialist who works for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Under current law, no one can be forced to join a union, and Janus chose not to become a member of AFSCME, the union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements with the state on the behalf of him and more than 35,000 other public employees in Illinois.
On the surface, the Janus case is about free speech. Below the surface, it’s about stripping public unions of their political influence.
Although Janus receives wage, healthcare, pension, and other benefits under the contracts AFSCME secures, he claims his First Amendment rights are being violated because Illinois law forces him to pay him to pay “fair-share” fees to the union to help defray the costs of collective bargaining. Such payments, also called “agency fees,” are deducted from employee paychecks and comprise a portion of the full dues payments remitted by union members. Fair-share fees cannot be used to fund a union’s political lobbying or its contributions to political campaigns.
In the Supreme Court, Janus is represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation Inc., a business-backed anti-union group. In Monday’s oral arguments, and in written briefs, Janus’s lawyers have argued that the First Amendment protects not only the affirmative right to speak but also the passive right not to be compelled to speak or to endorse the speech, acts or policies of other people or groups. The lawyers say requiring dissenting public employees to pay fees to a union they don’t want to join, even on issues of pay and benefits, amounts to a violation of the First Amendment.
To win the lawsuit, Janus’s legal team will have to convince the court to overturn its 1977 opinion in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. Handed down during a more labor-friendly era, Abood upheld the constitutionality of fair-share fees, recognizing that the fair-share structure is designed to equitably distribute the costs of union activities among those who benefit from them and to counteract the incentive for employees to become “free riders,” those who refuse to contribute to a union while obtaining benefits of union representation.
With the addition of Trump-appointee Neil Gorsuch as the successor to the late Antonin Scalia, conservatives on the court have re-established their 5-4 majority. In Monday’s argument, Gorsuch did not ask a single question. Justice Clarence Thomas, as usual, also remained silent. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito asked many questions, and left little doubt that they were prepared to overrule Abood. There is no reason to believe that their conservative colleagues Gorsuch and Thomas won’t join them when the court issues its final opinion.
This is the fourth time in the last decade that the court has reviewed cases seeking to overturn Abood. While the court has previously stopped short of doing so, it has slowly chipped away at its legal underpinnings.
Starting in 2012, with its opinion in Knox v. Service Employees International Union, and continuing with its 2014 decision in Harris v. Quinn, a majority of the court has emphasized that the payment of union dues by public employees is indeed a form of political speech. That makes it subject to the constraints of the First Amendment, because public unions negotiate contracts with governmental entities and such contracts by definition affect public policies and the spending of taxpayer money.
Right-to-work laws are currently in place in twenty-eight states. The Januslitigation, if successful, would extend them to public-employee unions in the remaining twenty-two, including California and New York, the states with the greatest number of unionized public employees.
If the legal theories advanced by Janus’s attorneys seem like a smokescreen to obscure a political attack on unions, that’s because they are. The crippling of trade unions has been the goal of the National Right to Work Committee since it was formed in 1955 by a collection of hard-core conservatives, anti-communist zealots and Christian fundamentalists.
The committee’s first president was former New Jersey Congressman Fred Hartley, co-sponsor of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which authorized states to adopt right-to-work laws. Many of the committee’s early leaders were also founders of the John Birch Society, including Fred Koch, the father of Charles and David.
If the legal theories advanced by Janus’s attorneys seem like a smokescreen to obscure a political attack on unions, that’s because they are.
As reported by The Progressive, in 2012, while the Knox case was pending, the Kochs’s Freedom Partners group funneled $1 million to the committee. Other important financial backers include the Walton Family Foundation, the Coors family’s Castle Rock Foundation, Wisconsin’s Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, and the Searle Freedom Trust. According to the The Guardian, since the 1990s the Bradley Foundation has donated $30.5 million to twenty-four organizations that have supported lawsuits against public unions.
It’s easy to see why the right-to-work movement has targeted public-employee unions. In the private sector, the unionization rate has dwindled to 6.5 percent. The public sector, by contrast, boasts a unionization rate of 34.4 percent.
In both the private and public spheres, employees covered by collective bargaining agreements earn considerably more than those who lack coverage. According to figures compiled by The Century Foundation, for example, unionized teachers in California on average earn an hourly wage 24.7 percent higher than their nonunion counterparts. Nationwide, median earnings for a two-income, nonunion family are $400 a week less than that of a union family.
Unionized workers are also more likely to vote Democratic. A recent Brookings Institution study found that from 1980 to 2016, right-to-work laws have decreased the Democratic presidential vote share by 3.5 percent.
The right’s game plan is simple: If fair-share fees are outlawed in the remaining twenty-two states where they are permitted, public-sector unions will collapse economically.
Although fair-share fees cannot be used for political purposes, union dues can be if channeled through political action committees and super PACs. As their membership ranks have grown, public-employee unions have become a key source of funding for Democratic office seekers and progressive ballot measures. During the 2016 election cycle, the Service Employees International Union alone donated $19 million to pro-Democratic super-PACs.
The right’s game plan is simple: If fair-share fees are outlawed in the remaining twenty-two states where they are permitted, public-sector unions will collapse economically, as increasing numbers of employees opt to become free riders. Unions, however, will still be required to represent all members of a bargaining unit in contract negotiations.
Depleted of funds for collective bargaining and for political purposes, unions will be weakened further, and still more workers will choose to join the free-rider ranks. This vicious death spiral his already happening in Wisconsin in the aftermath of Governor Scott Walker’s 2011 assault on public unions and the state’s subsequent implementation of right-to-work policies.
The right’s assault on unions, however, is just one of a host of other equally ambitious conservative legal campaigns. To name just a few: efforts to curb voting rights, repeal Obamacare, impose new burdens on abortion, erect new obstacles to the filing of class actions and racial and sex discrimination complaints, shield companies from liability for defective and dangerous products, reduce the financial risks of environmental pollution, and expand the rights of businesses under the doctrine of corporate personhood.
Viewed in its full political context, the Janus case must be understood as a critical battle in a protracted war for the future of the country. A decision in the case will be issued by the end of June.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt leaves after speaking at an event, November 17, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images)
As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the leadership of Scott Pruitt moves to make it easier for big industry to dump dangerous chemicals into the nation’s air and water, the agency announced late Monday that it is dissolving a program that funds studies on the effects of pollution and chemical exposure on America’s children.
Called the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), the program previously provided millions of dollars in grants per year to researchers studying the effects of chemicals on children’s health. The EPA’s move, first reported by The Hill, will eliminate the NCER in the process of consolidating three EPA offices.
Critics responded to the move with outrage, denouncing it as “truly wicked” and further proof of the Trump administration’s willingness to sacrifice the health of the public in the service of its corporate-friendly deregulatory agenda.
Finally America’s children will be allowed to choke on the freedom of a lighter regulatory burden https://t.co/w0w5qPO2g6
While the decision to dissolve the NCER was portrayed by the EPA as an effort “to create management efficiencies,” experts argued that the move is perfectly in line with the Trump administration’s push to gut funding for research programs and undercut the agency’s ability to regulate and fine corporate polluters.
“They make it sound like this is a way to create efficiency, but it masks what’s happening to this actually programmatic, scientific function of NCER….That makes you think, ‘Is this really just an efficiency argument masking their real intention to get…
Radical — a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform; a member of a political party or part of a party pursuing such aims. • synonyms: revolutionary · progressive · reformer · revisionist · militant · • chemistry: a group of atoms behaving as a unit in a number of compounds. See also free radical. • the root or base form of a word. • mathematics: a quantity forming or expressed as the root of another.
What does it mean to reclaim space? I know there are those who want to reclaim ancient wisdom, or reclaim the commons, reclaim ancestry, reclaim a sense of community, reclaim the city, and reclaim the rural. Reclamation projects abound in theory – water, air, soil, cultures.
Reclaiming is also restorative, as in restorative justice or restorative ecology. That total reclaiming is a type of stewardship, and if done with radical intent – at the root seeking change or foundational purpose – then there is a social justice component. Always. Social justice leads to the rights of nature. Eventually, we have a world where replanting trees is the radical (root) approach to starting back to a reset.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
— Ancient Chinese proverb
That radical approach can be scaled up and spread throughout the communitarian space of humanity. Imagine, while China is full bore capitalist in some sense, but, 60,000 Chinese troops will be deployed to plant trees:
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he does not regret meeting Czechoslovakian spy Jan Sarkocy during the Cold War. Instead, the opposition leader told media that he was not the only MP fraternizing with supposed diplomats.
Corbyn, who was speaking to ITV News in his first TV interview since Sarkocy’s claims were published by the Rupert Murdoch owned-Sun, said that “many, many” other MPs also met with the man who later turned out to be a Soviet spy.
“I met him, as did a number of other people and he was the diplomat working in the Czech Embassy and his job was to talk about peace and détente. This was the time when Gorbachev was the President of the USSR and there was a real chance of détente developing and more peace within Europe,” Corbyn said.
“We spoke about those matters. I told him what I thought and he bizarrely discovered that I was opposed to Margaret Thatcher and the Tory government. It should not have been a surprise to him but I have no knowledge of what Margaret Thatcher ever ate for breakfast. She never told me.”
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When the Labour leader was asked if he had any regrets about meeting with Sarkocy, his reply was simple: “No, not at all. I met him as did many, many other MPs and I also met a lot of American diplomats during that period.”
“I went to the US Embassy to talk to them about what I thought about their wholly wrong strategy in Central America. If you’re a serious MP and serious about international affairs, you meet people, you don’t agree with most of them but you have to meet them to understand what their position is and try and put forward your own view on peace, justice and human rights.”
Finally, he added: “I don’t regret any of it. Why should I?”
The Labour Party has dismissed Sarkocy as a “fantasist.” In an interview with a Slovakian media outlet Nový čas, Sarkocy claimed personal credit for launching the Live Aid concert at Wembley in 1985 and made other claims that have brought his statements into question.
During the interview, the one-time spy, who went by the pseudonym ‘Jan Dymic’ during his time working for the Czechoslovakian secret service, spoke about his supposed links to Nelson Mandela, before stating that he kept in touch with Mandela’s wife. He also told the paper that “women are a good source.”
Records in Prague show that the Czechoslovakian spy agency gave the Labour MP the codename “Cob.” Despite this, Svetlana Ptacnikova, the director of the Czech security service archive, denied that Corbyn was a paid agent. Ptacnikova told the BBC that their files indicated that Corbyn was seen as a potential contact, but he was not catalogued as an informant. “Mr. Corbyn was not a secret collaborator working for the Czechoslovak intelligence service,” she said.
“He stayed in that basic category — as a person of interest, in the final report issued by the StB agent shortly before [the agent] was expelled from the UK.”
A Florida teenager, who lives just miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was arrested after a pipe bomb and other weapons were allegedly found during a raid on his home.
The 16-year-old had threatened to kill students while playing an online video game, according to a statement from Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Police raided the teenager’s home at around 4:00 pm local time on Monday after receiving a tip from a member of the public. A homemade pipe bomb and other weapons were allegedly found at the house.
A 16-year-old Pompano Beach boy who threatened to kill students and had a pipe bomb in his home was arrested Monday night. Read more: https://t.co/F6ehVmPTYg
The bomb squad was at the scene along with investigators from Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The teen is facing a felony charge for possessing explosives, the sheriff’s office said.
The arrest was just the latest in a string of arrests following online threats to harm students in the wake of the shooting at the Parkland high school, which left 17 people dead on February 14.
In the aftermath of the Parkland attack, a 15-year-old was arrested after threatening to kill people at a number of Broward County schools. On February 20, a 13-year-old girl was also arrested after allegedly posting a threat on Instagram to kill students at another Broward County school, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office has come under pressure following allegations that complaints against shooter Nikolas Cruz were not properly investigated and that three sheriff’s deputies did not enter the school after arriving on the scene during the mass shooting. The school’s armed and uniformed resource officer, Scot Peterson, also came under scrutiny after failing to enter the building to stop the gunman.
The Russian presidential election has already started. At least in north-west Siberia, which became the first region to cast ballots in early polling. RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe…
Supreme Court justices on Tuesday wrestled with Microsoft Corp’s dispute with the US Justice Department over whether prosecutors can force technology companies to hand over data stored overseas, with some signaling support for the government and others urging Congress to pass a law to resolve the issue.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, both conservatives, hinted during an hour-long argument in the case at support for the Justice Department’s stance that because Microsoft is based in the United States it was obligated to turn over data sought by prosecutors in a US warrant.
As the nine justices grappled with the technological complexities of email data storage, liberals Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor questioned whether the court needed to act in the data privacy case in light of Congress now considering bipartisan legislation that would resolve the legal issue.
If you want to be a good white ally then shut up and “know your place,” so says HuffPost’s Brandi Miller in her latest column.
In her article on Sunday titled, “If You Want To Be An Effective Ally, Be Quiet And Know Your Place,” Miller says white allies need to learn from the movie Black Panther and the “uncolonized African nation of Wakanda.”
“Wakanda doesn’t need allies,” Miller says. “While ‘Black Panther’ is almost entirely disinterested in validating the participation of whiteness in the story of T’Challa and the fate of Wakanda, it offers a model for how white people can resist the urge to simply be allies in the cause of justice and rather be useful without having to be center stage or praised.”
Allyship is inherently about platitudes. When POC do the work it’s just called being ourselves. Doing justice shouldn’t require a special title.
She says “white allies” need to give up their power and let people of color direct them on “how to be useful” in “fighting for the cause of justice.”
“The lesson of ‘Black Panther’ for white allies is this: They must learn to be the sidekick, to be at the fringe, to give up power, to have people of color in their ears directing them on how to be useful in fighting for the cause of justice,” she says.
At the end of her piece, Miller reluctantly acknowledges Wakanda is not actually a real place, but nonetheless says the…
COURTESY: WCPO, WHAS Forecasters expected flooding to persist through the week in Cincinnati and surrounding areas on Monday as the Ohio River slowly recedes from its highest level in 21…
The United States Congress does not represent the people but those corporate interests that keep them in power, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist.
Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday while commenting on a poll which has revealed that a majority of Americans, regardless of party allegiance, disapprove of Congress.
The new poll, published by the Associated Press-NORC Center on Monday, revealed that a total of 85 percent of Americans believe the Congress’s job is below average.
It also found that the number of Democrats that held an unfavorable view of Congress, 89 percent, is only seven percentage points higher than that of Republicans, at 82 percent.
“A recent study by Princeton and Northwestern has shown that Congress only cares about what one thinks on a topic if it is coming from the economic elite. As it does happen that the…
Parti de l’égalité socialiste holds meeting in Paris against militarism and austerity
By
our reporters
27 February 2018
On Sunday, the Parti de l’égalité socialiste (PES), the French section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), held a meeting in Paris titled “No to the Merkel-Macron axis! For a socialist struggle of the European working class!” It exposed the militaristic plans underlying the attempt to form a Grand Coalition government in Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel, which would work closely with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The Parti de l’égalité socialiste (PES) meeting in Paris
Several dozen people attended the meeting, including readers of the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) and a layer of immigrant youth concerned about Macron’s increasingly brutal and anti-democratic policies. The main speaker was Johannes Stern, a leading member of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP), the ICFI’s German section.
Stern reviewed the SGP’s comprehensive analysis of the coalition pact drafted by the Christian-Democratic (CDU/CSU) and Social-Democratic (SPD) parties. The Grand Coalition, he noted, would be the most right-wing German regime since the fall of the Nazis. Quoting from the pact, Stern exposed Berlin’s plans for mass detention, adopting the far-right Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) anti-refugee policy, broadly building up state surveillance and police state measures, and building an “army of Europeans.”
These plans involve doubling German military spending and exerting military influence across a vast area of the world’s surface where Germany has economic interests—including the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and Russia, as well as Asia, Africa and Latin America. He pointed to…
An investigation into the abuse of vulnerable girls in Rotherham has stalled as there aren’t enough police to work the case. As many as 1,400 cases are still being investigated after 30 years of abuse in the northern English town.
Senior investigating officer Paul Williamson told RT that the case is being stalled because there just aren’t enough qualified people to work on the case. “It’s a really specialist area. Engaging and interviewing vulnerable victims,” Williamson said.
“A lot of our victims were children when they were abused, but they’re now adults and have associated problems as a result of that abuse, including suicidal tendencies, mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction.”
Around 100 more officers are needed in the investigation. So far, only 17 percent of claims have been assessed and there are no signs of the rest being combed through anytime soon.
The case divided the nation after it was claimed that 80 percent of suspected perpetrators are of Pakistani origin. The scandal outrage many Britons after it emerged that many of those abused were already in local authority care or known to police.
Read more
However, systemic failures led to the victims going unquestioned and ignored while adult men abused and groomed them, paying them with drugs and drinks for sex. Most of the victims, aged between 11 and 15, were told they were in a “relationship” with the men. The majority were also white, which led to claims that the police feared being branded as racist when they were initially being warned of the cases.
Chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation Mohammed Shafiq told RT that community inaction boiled down to the fear of being branded as racists. “On the part of the authorities, in their cases, they were saying that these girls made a lifestyle choice,” he said. “It’s about the fact that the authorities didn’t want to be branded racists.”
“I’ve been campaigning against Child Sex Exploitation and grooming gangs who are predominantly of a Pakistan origin for over ten years.”
So far, only four people have been convicted, 18 have been charged and 38 arrested in the £10 million investigation. No senior officials have been held to account.
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The overwhelming majority of Americans, irrespective of party allegiance, holds a dismal opinion of Congress, a fresh poll shows. It found 89 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans disapprove of the legislature’s work.
The new poll, published by the Associated Press-NORC Center on Monday, revealed that a total of 85 percent of Americans believe the Congress’s job is below par. The attitude to the Republican-controlled legislature does not change much across party lines. The number of Democrats that held an unfavorable view of Congress, 89 percent, is only seven percentage points higher than that of Republicans, at 82 percent.
While the figures are a bit more reassuring when it comes to the members of Congress, the immediate representatives of those surveyed, they are still hardly anything to brag about.
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Only 44 percent of Americans approve of the work their own Congressman or Congresswoman is doing on Capitol Hill, 41 percent of Democrats and half of Republicans.
Even if some may think that the Congress’s workload is enough, it does not mean they are passing all good laws. Fewer than 20 percent of Americans believe there is merit to the lawmakers’ legislative work, while over a third of all respondents think it is mostly bad. The remainder don’t assess it as either positive or negative.
The NORC poll was conducted between 15 and 19 February.
The plunging ratings aren’t a product of the Trump era and its partisan skirmishes. Americans have long been disenchanted with Congressional politics. A glance at the Gallup Congress approval chart through the years will show that it rarely climbed over the 20 percent threshold since 2010. After a record 84 percent approval in 2002, the rating has been on a steep decline, reaching a new low in November 2013 after it slipped to just nine percent.
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A survey conducted by Stanford University and the University of California-Santa Barbara, together with the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in 2015-2017, purports to explain the disdain of the American public with their elected legislators by an enormous gap between who they are supposed to serve and who they actually do serve, according to Americans themselves.
“Large majorities in both parties report lawmakers should pay attention to the majority of Americans but believe lawmakers actually pay attention to donors and elites. Rare in 2018, both self-identified Republicans and Democrats agree,” Trevor Tompson, director of the AP-NORC Center, stated in a press release on Monday.
What the researchers identify as the root cause of the problem is that 65 percent of Americans believe that their representative in Congress should pay attention to a majority in the US, while only 18 percent of respondents think that it is what they are actually doing. The part of the population most catered-for by the lawmakers are the lobbyists that “gave money to last election campaign,” according to the survey. Sixty-six percent of Americans believe that Congress actually pays attention to lobbyists, while only 11 percent agree it should be like that.
While Congress, at its current 20 percent approval rating, according to Gallup, is safe from breaking records any time soon, President Donald Trump, with his 38.4 percent job approval rating during his first year in office, became the first president to go below 40 percent in his first year, with his nearest contender in this respect being Bill Clinton, at 49.3 percent.
Israeli soldiers have conducted a pre-dawn raid on a Palestinian village, arresting 10 people, among them a teenage boy still recovering from an alleged gun-shot wound to the head, sustained…
US President Donald Trump has said he will announce Brad Parscale,his campaign’s digital director in 2016, as his 2020 reelection campaign manager.
“Brad was essential in bringing a disciplined technology and data-driven approach to how the 2016 campaign was run,” said the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner in a statement on Tuesday . “His leadership and expertise will help build a best-in-class campaign.”
Before politics, Parscale had worked for the Trump Organization on digital marketing. In 2016 he made a name for himself through a controversial effort to depress voter turnout among minorities, with a heavy focus on Facebook and Twitter.
Parscale became the center of questions about possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia, when in late 2016, Washington alleged that Russia had influenced the US presidential election in November that year to help now-incumbent Trump get elected, an allegation that Russia…
There is something very fishy about the Anti Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) pinned on the Russian curler and Russian bobsledder during the final week of the Peyongchang Winter Olympics.
It makes no logical sense that an athlete would do a one-time consumption of a chemical that is of no value in circumstances where it is almost certain to be detected with huge negative consequences.
That is precisely the situation. The Russian Mixed Curling bronze medal winner, Alexander Krushelnitsky, had to give up his medal, plus that of his partner wife, because traces of meldonium were found in his urine sample. He had previously tested clean.
Meldonium is a medication which helps keep the heart healthy by increasing blood flow. That would be of no benefit in a sport like curling which requires accuracy, strategy and focus but is not taxing physically. The “sweeping” to help guide the rock down the ice lasts only 20 seconds or less.
International curlers were astounded at the news and bemused at the idea of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) for curling. The skip of the Danish curling team said
I think most people will laugh and ask, ‘what could you possibly need doping for?
I am categorically opposed to doping …. never, at any time that I have been involved in sport, have I ever used prohibited substances.
Similar curious circumstances apply in the second ADRV.Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva had numerous negative (clean) tests before she was tested positive for banned trimetazidine.Bobsledding is another sport which requires physical and mental skill but not physical endurance.
Check Keiser Report website for more: http://www.maxkeiser.com/ In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy discuss the lie observations about cable news channels and the hysterically…
A majority of Americans, regardless of party allegiance, disapprove of the US Congress, a fresh poll shows.
The new poll, published by the Associated Press-NORC Center on Monday, revealed that a total of 85 percent of Americans believe the Congress’s job is below average.
It also found that the number of Democrats that held an unfavorable view of Congress, 89 percent, is only seven percentage points higher than that of Republicans, at 82 percent.
The poll also revealed that only 44 percent of Americans approve of the work their own Congressman or Congresswoman is doing on Capitol Hill, 41 percent of Democrats and half of GOPs.
“Large majorities in both parties report lawmakers should pay attention to the majority of Americans but believe lawmakers actually pay attention to donors and elites. Rare in 2018, both self-identified Republicans and Democrats agree,” Trevor Tompson, director of the AP-NORC
The fight between pro-Corbyn and anti-Corbyn forces within the UK’s Labour Party is intensifying as the anti-Corbyn camp attempts to stop Corbyn supporters from being on the ballot. Prof. Leo…
In a surprise overtime victory in the finals of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament, the Russians defeated Germany, 4-3.
But the Russians were not permitted to have their national anthem played or flag raised, due to a past doping scandal. So, the team ignored the prohibition and sang out the Russian national anthem over the sounds of the Olympic anthem.
One recalls the scene in “Casablanca,” where French patrons of Rick’s saloon stood and loudly sang the “La Marseillaise” to drown out the “Die Wacht am Rhein” being sung by a table of German officers.
When the combined North-South Korean Olympic team entered the stadium, Vice President Mike Pence remained seated and silent. But tens of thousands of Koreans stood and cheered the unified team.
America may provide a defensive shield for the South, but Koreans on both sides of the DMZ see themselves as one people. And, no fool, Kim Jong Un is exploiting the deep tribal ties he knows are there.
Watching the Russians defiantly belt out their anthem, one recalls also the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City where sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the podium, black gloved fists thrust skyward in a Black Power salute, asserting their separate racial identity
Western elites may deplore the return of nationalism. But they had best not dismiss it, for assertions of national and tribal identity appear to be what the future is going to be all about.
An Obama-era “no-arrest policy” guideline for school discipline may have hindered the ability of authorities to prevent Nikolas Cruz’s mass murder of 17 persons at a Florida high school on February 14, said the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Richard Corcoran.
Corcoran, a Republican from Florida’s Pasco County, made his comments on Monday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with hosts Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel coordinated with the Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie to implement a school disciplinary guidelines — entitled the PROMISE program: Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Supports & Education — oriented around racial and ethnic quotas.
Breitbart News’s Dr. Susan Berry reported: “The Obama-era Departments of Education and Justice – under education secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder –issued school guidelines in 2014 that claimed students of color are “disproportionately impacted” by suspensions and expulsions, a situation they said leads to a “school-to-prison pipeline” that discriminates against minority and low-income students.”
China reacts with fury after US sanctions Chinese companies http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-sanctions-china-companies-north-korea-latest-nuclear-weapons-trump-a8226936.html…
Arron Banks has lashed out at data firm Cambridge Analytica, calling them “compulsive liars”. The company’s chief executive Alexander Nix, addressing a parliamentary committee, denied Claims made in Banks’ book on Brexit.
In an inquiry into fake news by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Nix repeatedly denied claims that the big data firm worked on the EU referendum with the Leave campaign. During the hearing Banks’ book “Bad Boys of Brexit,” in which he makes claims over the link, was brought up. Nix claimed he hadn’t read the whole book but had seen the “relevant pages.”
As Nix was grilled by the cross-party committee, Banks took to Twitter to share his version of events and to defend his book, which – in his own words – tells “tales of mischief, mayhem and guerrilla warfare in the EU referendum campaign”.
MPs are quoting from Arron Banks’ “Bad Boys of Brexit” book as evidence that Cambridge Analytica meddled in Brexit and suggest it counts as a legitimate source. The first page of that book claims I sent a photographer to catch Farage naked in a sauna. That did not happen. pic.twitter.com/L2CYAYnmCZ
Banks, who says he is currently enjoying the Bermudian sunshine, posted a string of tweets sticking up for his work. He hit back at Guardian Media Editor Jim Waterson, who had added his voice to the choir.
He then continued to insist that Cambridge Analytica and Leave.EU had worked together. In a string of tweets, Banks told the Twitterverse that “Cambridge Analytica were part of the submission to the UK electoral commission”, and also labelled the big data firm and Nix “compulsive liars”. He also expressed surprise in not being invited to speak at the DCMS inquiry into fake news.
I’m surprised I haven’t been asked to appear , given the level of fake news & epic stupidity of MPs I’d love to give evidence… https://t.co/pMP935mHGS
Nix told the committee that press announcements stating that his company was working with the Leave.EU campaign were simply made by an “overzealous PR consultant” and “it was fake news that… spun out virally.”
Nix blames an “overzealous PR consultant” for putting out a statement that Cambridge Analytica worked on Brexit: “It was fake news that… spun out virally”
Finishing up, the company boss also told the inquiry that he was happy to provide bank statements to show that no transactions were made between Leave.EU and Cambridge Analytica.
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